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Blackhawks Postgame

Lack of Shots Cost Blackhawks Against Hurricanes

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The Chicago Blackhawks did not play a pretty game, taking on a Carolina Hurricanes team down a player for the night. The effort was there, even when the decision-making wasn’t. Ultimately, the talent gap was too big to overcome in a hard-fought 3-2 loss in Raleigh.



The Blackhawks benefitted from an illness in the opposing locker room for the second straight game. After Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was scratched late on Tuesday, Sebastian Aho and Taylor Hall missed tonight’s game. Ryan Suzuki, brother of Montreal Canadiens captain Nick, was recalled from the Chicago Wolves and made his NHL debut. Even with the late addition, Carolina had to play one skater down with only 11 forwards.

The first 16 minutes of this game were forgettable. Like he did last week in Chicago, Seth Jarvis got Carolina on the board with a shorthanded goal. This one gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 16:57 of the opening frame. The Blackhawks didn’t get their first shot on goal until the 17:13 mark, and it came on only their sixth attempt. Ilya Mikheyev got the Blackhawks’s second shot on goal a few moments later and tied the game.

The Hurricanes scored two goals in 1:07 early in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Mikko Rantanen picked up his first goal for Carolina after a Blackhawks turnover and miscommunication between veteran defensemen. Then Jaccob Slavin beat Philipp Kurashev and Alex Vlasic to the puck after Jackson Blake’s shot hit the post to double the lead.

Connor Bedard drew the Blackhawks to within a goal with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Seth Jones made a perfect stretch pass to get Bedard a one-on-one chance against Pyotr Kochetkov. He showed fantastic patience by waiting until the five-hole opened up, and he slid the puck through it. It sure feels like Bedard is about to go on one heck of a heater.

The Blackhawks played their best hockey of the night during the final frame but could not force overtime.

“We did a lot of good things except that spurt of a couple of minutes there in the second that hurt us, obviously,” interim head coach Anders Sorensen said. “We battled really hard in the third and created some opportunities. The result wasn’t there, but there were definitely some positive things.”

The road trip concludes Saturday afternoon at the Florida Panthers, where they can sweep the season series from the reigning Stanley Cup champs.

Colton Dach Answered the Bell

Sometimes, when dealing with young players, you must pull them back to understand better what is expected. That happened to Colton Dach, who sat and watched Tuesday’s win in Tampa Bay. Sorensen said they wanted him to be more physically engaged, which was the same request the organization had for Dach coming into the season. He was reinserted into the lineup tonight, and his coach left no doubt about what he was watching for.

“His first three steps,” Sorensen said. “Getting engaged physically and having a presence out there that way too. There are different ways to contribute to the game if you’re not scoring, and that’s an area he definitely can.”

Dach was noticeable in the opening frame. He was credited with one hit, but as Darren Pang pointed out on the local broadcast, he should have had at least three. He drew a penalty late in the opening frame by leaning into a defender. After swatting down a misplayed puck by Kochetkov, Dach almost had a goal, but the unorthodox goalie recovered in time for a sprawling save.

Unfortunately, Dach lost a board battle that led directly to the Hurricanes’ game-winning goal. Tomorrow’s video session will surely discuss this play.

Dach’s final stat line was good. In 12:09 of ice time, he had three shots on goal, three hits, two takeaways, and a blocked shot. He contributed to those areas Sorensen alluded to before the game.

Kids Have to Shoot More

Looking off clear shooting lanes to make an extra pass was a problem in Carolina tonight. But this is nothing new, as it’s been an issue since opening night. The Blackhawks only had 40 shot attempts on the night. A passive hockey team is usually a losing hockey team.

“We’ve just got to start putting pucks to the net,” Jones said. “We could probably take a page out of their book. They usually end games with 70-80 shot attempts and 40 shots on net. If you look at the analytics, that’ll lead to some wins.”

The Hurricanes are a heavy back-checking team that does not give you time and space to make an extra play. The decision-making must be quick and precise, or they will make you pay. Frank Nazar found this out the way as his decision to pull up instead of taking the shot led to the Hurricanes’ second goal.  After this play, Nazar and Landon Slaggert swapped spots.

Before scoring in the third period, Bedard made a great move to give himself a clear shooting lane. Instead, he tried to force the puck across the crease to Slaggert, but the play was snuffed out. In those moments, it’s ok to be selfish.

 “He wants to make the right play every time,” Jones said of Bedard when asked about this play. “Sometimes, maybe more often than not, the shot is the right play, especially when we don’t create a lot. When the Jumbotron says zero shots there, maybe he should shoot the puck.”

It’s hard to argue with this line of thinking.