Blackhawks Postgame
4 Thoughts From Blackhawks 3-1 Loss Against Kraken
The Chicago Blackhawks were coming off a big win against one of the top teams in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild. Then, their next test came against the Seattle Kraken, a pretty neck-and-neck team with Chicago, as Seattle only had one more win. It’s always the teams that are similar in record that make the toughest opponents, and the last time the Blackhawks faced the Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena, it did not go as planned, as they got defeated 6-2, and the revenge tour was not sweet. Here are 4 thoughts from the Blackhawks 3-1 loss to the Kraken.
1. The Matching Slow Starts for Blackhawks and Kraken
The CHSN showed a graphic during the game that said the Kraken have been outscored 21-11 in the first period this season, which should have been a glimmer of light for the Blackhawks, as first-period slow starts have their kryptonite. However, they could not take advantage of another team’s weakness and continued their own. Chicago had three shots on goal and won 29.4% of faceoffs in the first period. Granted, Ryan Donato had a chance, as did Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi, but it didn’t hit the net.
After the first period, the score was 0-0, yet you couldn’t help but feel that the Blackhawks’ lack of a strong start there might not end well for them.
2. Game Gave LA Vibes
The Blackhawks had 4 shots on goal with less than 10 minutes remaining in the second period, which brought flashbacks to the Blackhawk’s game against the LA Kings on Nov. 2, where they were in a similar position. Against LA, it ended up okay because they forced overtime and won in a shootout.
Phil Thompson of the Chicago Tribune made a perfect observation:
I find this hard to believe: Of the Blackhawks' 6 shots on goal, the closest distance is 41 ft. Of course, 4 of those 6 are from defensemen.
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) November 15, 2024
The Blackhawks forwards were nonexistent for half of the game, which can’t happen. The end result was not like in LA, as Chicago could not come away with a win.
3. Petr Mrazek Was Gold Again
As usual, the story of the game was about goaltender Petr Mrazek. He was on his game all night. The Blackhawks were outshot 18-4 through the second period, and he was everywhere. In the second period, Matty Beniers scored to make it 1-0, but Mrazek still kept it a game. Beniers also missed a wide-open net in the third period when Mrazek went out of the net to play the puck, and he did all he could to try to stop Beniers in that instance. Despite being outplayed, the Blackhawks were never out of it because of their goaltender.
Mrazek played outstandingly, and he deserved a better result.
4. The Blackhawks Third Period Strikes Again, But To No Avail
The Kraken got a quick goal from Jaden Schwartz, making the score 2-0 early in the third, but Ryan Donato had the answer to make it 2-1. Unfortunately, another strong third-period push didn’t work. The Kraken got an empty net goal to win 3-1. It was a close game, but slow starts and lack of shots on goal until the third period is never something you want to rely on to win, and it’s a bad pattern for the Blackhawks.
Also, head coach Luke Richardson did a line blender in the third period where Craig Smith and Ryan Donato played on the first line with Connor Bedard, which was interesting. They had two shots for and one against, including Donato’s goal. The lines for the game against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 16 will, once again, be something to watch.
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