Blackhawks Have ‘Mind-Boggling’ Lack of Effort in Loss to Penguins

The Chicago Blackhawks looked like a team with early dinner reservations. They played well in the first period but couldn’t make an effort over the final 40 minutes. A lot of lost one-on-one battles, missed defensive assignments, and poor puck management led to a 5-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The performance was even more disappointing after looking good in beating this same team 3-1 on Sunday.

The Penguins scored the first goal in the final seconds of the opening period. Seconds after Kevin Korchinski took a questionable hooking penalty, Sidney Crosby scored off a set play from the slot. The opening period was a good one for the Blackhawks, as they led the Penguins in shot attempts (20-15), scoring chances (11-9), and high-danger scoring chances (5-4). However, the late Crosby goal took the life out of the team, and they never got it back.

Pittsburgh doubled the lead early in the second period thanks to a goal from Erik Karlsson. Teuvo Teravainen and Frank Nazar couldn’t connect on a zone exit, and moments later, Karlsson scored an easy goal from below the left circle, the 200^th of his career. The second period was some of the most uninspired hockey the Blackhawks have played all season. The Penguins turned the tables with a 20-9 advantage in 5v5 shot attempts and an inexcusable 13-2 lead in scoring chances.

The sleepiness carried over into the third period. Early in the frame, Kris Letang crept down to the right circle and went upstairs to beat Spence Knight. Former Blackhawks first-round pick Kevin Hayes made it 4-0 about three minutes later. Knight stopped his shot from the slot, but it rolled over his shoulder and bounced over the goal line. Hayes added a second goal off a redirection late in the final frame to close out the scoring.

“A lot is turnovers, and it’s out of our own zone and out of the offensive zone,” interim coach Anders Sorensen said. “It’s not good. It’s mind-boggling it can be like that 48 hours later.”

Sam Rinzel, Blackhawks’ Lone Bright Spot

Tonight was the first time in a long time that the Blackhawks mailed one in. This lack of effort is something we haven’t seen since the injection of youth on the roster. However, defenseman Sam Rinzel continues to impress. He’s only been in the NHL for 11 days, but Rinzel already looks like he’s got hundreds of games under his belt.

‘‘We really like the fact that he wants to have the puck,” Sorensen said after Sunday’s win. “He takes control in shifts. That’s a great attribute as a player — especially as a young player — to come in and do that. You can see it with Artyom Levshunov as well. They want it, and they want to get after it.’’

Tonight’s first period was the frame of Rinzel’s young NHL career. Four minutes into the game, he just missed scoring his first goal by hitting the crossbar. It makes you wonder how this game would have gone had he buried this chance.

In addition to that scoring chance, Rinzel had a shot on goal and four shot attempts during the opening frame. At 5v5, the Blackhawks had 12 shot attempts to just one for the Penguins, with Rinzel on the ice for a remarkable 92.3 Corsi for percentage (CF%).  

Rinzel finished his night with three shots on goal and eight attempts while leading the team in ice time at 21:22. He was responsible for three of the Blackhawks’ 32 turnovers but was only on the ice for one of the five goals against.

Odds & Ends

• The Blackhawks held an extended team meeting after the game. That’s not a huge surprise with how poorly they played. Some might think this is silly since only four games are left, but with such a young roster, it’s not a bad idea for the veterans to get in their ears.

“As veterans or guys who have been around long enough know, you’ve got to bring the young players with you and teach them the right way. There’s some hard lessons in there, but it makes the team better. I think everybody can look at themselves in the mirror and find something they didn’t do great this game. You’ve got to continue to build. It’s a hard league.” – Ryan Donato on team meeting

• Oliver Moore got some time on the top line with Connor Bedard and Ilya Mikheyev during the second half of the game. In 4:46 of 5v5 ice time, they had a poor 33.3 CF%, only produced one shot on goal, and were on the ice for two of the Penguins’ goals. It’s the thought that counts, right?
• Lukas Reichel stuck out on the score sheet for the wrong reasons because he had no numbers on it. Not a single shot attempt, hit, takeaway….nothing. At least he didn’t have a giveaway. These are the nights I point to when fans wonder why he hasn’t gotten an extended look on the top six. You have to earn it. I fully expect to see Pat Maroon back in the lineup against the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
• If Maroon doesn’t draw in for Reichel, it might be for Philipp Kurashev, who took a puck to the face near the end of the game. He was bleeding heavily from the nose as he went right to the locker room. There was no update on his condition after the game.