4 Thoughts From Blackhawks 3-1 Loss Against Stars

The Chicago Blackhawks had a dud of a game against the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-1 loss and were looking to quickly turn the page 24 hours later against the Dallas Stars. Meanwhile, the Stars were looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The last time these two teams faced each other on Oct. 26, it ended up being a close game in the third period. Arvid Soderblom was in net, while head coach Luke Richardson pulled out the line blender, adding Taylor Hall and Lukas Reichel to the first line with Connor Bedard. Ryan Donato was moved to the third line, and Pat Maroon was a healthy scratch, while defenseman T.J. Brodie and Joey Anderson re-entered the lineup after being healthy scratches. Here are 4 thoughts from the Blackhawks’ 3-1 loss to the Stars.

1. Arvid Soderblom Held Strong

Despite the fact that goaltender Arvid Soderblom was getting shelled by Dallas all night with another slow start, he held strong. Even when the Blackhawks were getting outshot 20-5 at one point, the Blackhawks were still in the game 2-0. There was also a point in the first period where Alex Vlasic and Connor Murphy were out on the ice for over three minutes, and the Blackhawks continued to ice the puck, so they couldn’t change. The Stars didn’t score on that possession, and Soderblom continued to give his team a chance, even when they struggled. It could have been a blowout, and it wasn’t thanks to him. Soderblom ended up facing 40 shots, to the Blackhawks 26 shots.

2. Connor Bedard Frustrated

In the second period, Connor Bedard got stood up at the blue line by Stars’ defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. Bedard kicked Lyubuskin’s stick in frustration, resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Bedard.

Bedard is an emotional player, and head coach Luke Richardson spoke in March about speaking with Bedard about handling frustration, saying they didn’t want him to show emotion to the other team because you don’t want to show them they are getting to you. Bedard had a missed breakaway in the game, and knowing he has been frustrated by his lack of goals lately, it likely spiraled, but that was a moment he will probably learn from and be better for down the road.

Nick Foligno bailed him out of the penalty by drawing a Stars penalty by hustling on the penalty kill. He was also paired with Bedard to end the second period, which I think was wise. Considering Bedard was flustered, I think having Foligno there to guide him was beneficial.

3. The Blackhawks Line Blender Was Confusing

I know Richardson was looking for a spark with the line changes, but the team did look disjointed until the third period, when they turned on the jets, per usual. All of a sudden, the shots were 32-20. The line that was the most familiar with each other was the third line of Foligno, Jason Dickinson, and Joey Anderson, and they were fine. (especially Foligno; he was doing everything tonight). So, the line blender probably did more harm than good.

4. Tyler Bertuzzi Starting to Heat Up

Bertuzzi was off to a slow start this season, with 2 points in his first 10 games. But now he has 4 points in his last five games (three goals). His power-play goal against Dallas in the third period to put the Blackhawks up 2-1 was huge. It ended up not being enough, but it’s nice to see him starting to find his groove.

The Blackhawks will face the Minnesota Wild on Sunday (Nov. 10), hoping home cooking will help snap this two-game losing streak.

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