Blackhawks Second Period Push Not Enough in Loss to Maple Leafs

The Chicago Blackhawks embarked on a back-to-back to start the month of December, having come off a disappointing 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Goaltender Arvid Soderblom started the game, and his last start came on Nov. 19 versus the Anaheim Ducks. This matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs meant a lot more because Soderblom was undefeated in his career against them, having a perfect 2-0-0 record. However, the streak has been broken.

Here are 4 thoughts from the Blackhawks 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.

1. Bertuzzi Finally Paired With Bedard

Head coach Luke Richardson finally decided to put Tyler Bertuzzi on the first line with Connor Bedard and Taylor Hall. Frankly, it has been a long time coming. The team is still searching for offense, and considering they have exhausted almost every lineup combination you could think of in the previous 25 games, putting Bertuzzi on Bedard’s wing is one Richardson had yet to implement.

We discussed last month that the Blackhawks needed to try Bertuzzi with Bedard, considering they played together for most of the preseason, and their differing styles can complement each other.

They had two shots for and three against. The shots for were the lowest of all the lines. However, the shot attempts (9) were the most on the team. It will be interesting to see if Richardson gives this line another look.

2. Blackhawks’ Strong Second Period Doesn’t Get Results

The Blackhawks’ second period was outstanding. At the beginning of the second, the Blackhawks were down 1-0 due to an Auston Matthews goal, and then a weird bounce from John Tavares made the score 2-0, but the Blackhawks didn’t back down.

They had 29 shot attempts to Toronto’s 7 attempts. The Blackhawks also had 11 shots on goal to Toronto’s seven shots. Unfortunately, goaltender Anthony Stolarz made some big saves on Craig Smith, Ryan Donato, Craig Smith, Lukas Reichel, and Connor Murphy in a three-minute span.

The kicker was that the Blackhawks had a five-on-three power play early in the second period and didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Granted, it was for only about 28 seconds, but it was still a tough opportunity to let get by them. Maybe if they had scored and tied the game 1-1, the outlook of the second period would have looked different.

Nevertheless, it was a very good showing by the Blackhawks.

3. Blackhawks Power Play Falls Short

Yesterday against Columbus was a revelation for the Blackhawks’ power play, as they scored three goals. Against Toronto, they went 0-for-4 on the power play and didn’t look threatening on any of them. As previously said, not scoring on the 5-on-3 hurt. It was a complete 180 in a 24 hour period, and sunk them.

However, their penalty kill was perfect, going 2-for-2, so at least they had that.

4. Blackhawks’ Good Showing Doesn’t Get Rewarded

What is frustrating about the Blackhawks is that they often don’t play well enough to win. But in hockey, sometimes all you need is luck to come out with a win. Against Toronto, they played a decent game and fought hard but weren’t getting the luck or rewarded for it. Then, it fell apart in the third when Lukas Reichel scored a goal to make the score 2-1, and then the Maple Leafs answered seconds later to make it 3-1. They stalled their own momentum like they did against Columbus.

It’s a double whammy when you are a struggling team and not getting rewarded when you are playing well, like in the second period. All in all, nothing is going right for the Blackhawks as they continue to sit in last place in the NHL.

For more Blackhawks News from Jim Lynch and Brooke LoFurno, visit Chicago Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.

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