The Kids Do the Heavy Lifting in Blackhawks Loss to Lightning

The Chicago Blackhawks had another two-goal lead disappear during a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Besides a season-high four-game point streak, the good news was the kids doing the heavy lifting.

The Blackhawks did not dress the expected lineup. As the team was taking the ice for pregame warmups, it was announced that Taylor Hall was a late scratch, and Seth Jones was out with an illness. Pat Maroon and T.J. Brodie drew back in to take their spots. As it turned out, Hall was part of a massive trade between the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, and the Blackhawks.

Before the game, interim head coach Anders Sorensen mentioned that he wanted to avoid giving the Lightning too many chances on the power play, for good reason. They needed just 24 seconds of their first chance for Mitchell Chaffee to find a soft spot in the ice and give Tampa a 1-0 lead.

Colton Dach made up for his earlier penalty by tying the game with his first NHL goal. Ryan Donato’s center pass from behind the net was deflected, but Dach stayed with it and beat Jonas Johansson for his memorable moment. Just over two minutes later, Connor Bedard jumped on an errant pass and got to Frank Nazar in the slot, where he potted his second goal of the season.

Louis Crevier doubled the lead with a goal early in the second period. The Blackhawks salvaged a bad second period in the last two games by scoring in the final minute. The Lightning flipped the script tonight when Nick Paul scored on a redirect with only 7.9 seconds in the middle frame.

As expected, Tampa Bay came out firing in the third period. They outshot the Blackhawks 17-1 over the final 20 minutes. The Lightning’s vaunted power play showed why it’s one of the best units in the league. With less than a minute left in regulation, Jake Guentzel tapped home a beautiful pass from Kucherov to tie the game.

In the final seconds of regulation, Alec Martinez’s stick broke, causing Teuvo Teravainen to take a tripping penalty to prevent a breakaway. With the extra space on the ice to start overtime, Kucherov capped off his three-point night with the game-winning goal.

Ethan Del Mastro Belongs in the NHL

Defenseman Ethan Del Mastro made his return to the NHL Friday night. Not only did he play, but he looked like he belonged. He was supposed to play with Nolan Allan, but with Jones being a late scratch, he was paired with Brodie. Sorensen knew what he was getting with Del Mastro as he coached to an All-Star season in Rockford last year.

“He just has to trust his instinct and play his game,” was Sorensen’s advice. “He’s been really good down in Rockford. He has a big frame, so use that to get in the way and stop plays defensively.”

Del Mastro is known for his defensive game, but he showed last season that he can chip in offensively, too. He was not afraid to be active with the puck against the Lightning. He took a shot from the point on his first shift that just missed the far post. In the second period, he took the puck behind the net and set up a prime scoring chance for Dach. Donato set him up on his next shift in front of the net, but he couldn’t convert.

Del Mastro finished his night with three shot attempts and two hits in 15:49 of ice time and was not on the ice for any of the Tampa goals. The Blackhawks had a 17-11 shot attempt advantage when he was on the ice for a 60.7 Corsi for percentage (CF%). You cannot take him out of the lineup on Sunday.

The Future Is Now

This loss after leading by two goals was far less frustrating than all the other blown two-goal leads this season. First, the Lightning are still one of the better teams in the league, with one of the best players on the planet in Kucherov. Second, it was the kids who are going to be difference-makers when this team is good again that made the difference.

Dach scored the first goal of his NHL career and nearly had another one in the middle frame. He had four shot attempts, a hit, and two blocked shots. He’s another kid who has not looked out of place since being recalled.

Nazar had his first two-point game of his career. He’s starting to bury his scoring chances, which should excite everyone. At no point during this stint has he looked lost or in over his head. The chemistry he’s building with Bedard has been so fun to watch.

Crevier has been a tremendous story. He had a goal and an assist and is improving with each passing shift. He and Nazar became the first Blackhawks rookies to each post multiple points in the same game since Brandon Hagel and Pius Suter did it on April 21, 2021.

Even Arvid Soderblom stood on his head, making 16 saves in the third period to get the game to overtime. It’s crazy to think that Soderblom is part of the future when you consider he was not even supposed to play in the NHL season. For him to go from being one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL to the Blackhawks’ best netminder in less than a year is a testament to the hard work he’s put in Jimmy Waite.