10 observations: Arvid Söderblom’s winless drought continues in Blackhawks’ loss to Flyers originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
The Chicago Blackhawks fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 on Wednesday at the United Center.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. Arvid Söderblom started in goal and is still searching for his first win since Nov. 24, which was nearly three months ago. The first goal was just unlucky after it went off Alex Vlasic. He definitely wants the third one back though. His rebound control continues to be a work in progress but he was otherwise fine in this game.
2. Connor Bedard didn’t pick up a point — and his line didn’t have the best night — but he flashed throughout the night. He was particularly strong in the zone entries department and nearly pulled off a sweet highlight-reel goal in the second period.
3. The Blackhawks passed up opportunities to shoot on multiple occasions, which has been a common theme this season. Bedard surprisingly was one of them. The most notable though was Anthony Beauvillier trying to force a cross-ice pass on a 3-on-1 chance at the beginning of the second period; Travis Konecny went the other way shortly after to make it 2-1. Tough swing.
4. How about the pass by Joey Anderson off the boards and finish by Colin Blackwell in the first period to put Chicago on the board. Blackwell has been on the highlight reel a few times for the Blackhawks this season.
5. Reese Johnson and Nick Seeler got the crowd going with a fight in the third period, and it wasn’t the first time those two dropped the gloves. They were teammates a few years ago and squared off during a Blackhawks scrimmage. Unfinished business?
6. Tyler Johnson hit the post in the first period and then just missed on a goal in the second. He had a few chances. So did Taylor Raddysh, who was robbed by Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson with a glove save early in the game.
7. The Blackhawks didn’t commit a single minor penalty, which is very rare. No surprise they went 0-for-2 on the power play though. They rank dead-last in that area, and the Flyers, who lead the NHL with 13 shorthanded goals, rank second in penalty kill percentage.
8. A puck hit Louis Crevier in the mouth at the beginning of practice on Tuesday, and he left with a towel over his face. He had to go to the dentist to get checked out afterward. Crevier wasn’t available to play in this game, but Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said he’s doing fine. He’s just sore.
9. Andreas Athanasiou (groin) continues to skate in a non-contact jersey. He’s starting to ramp it up a bit more. Connor Murphy, who’s been out since Jan. 13, sought a second opinion for his groin injury. Apparently it went well, but there’s no timeline for his return.
10. The Blackhawks placed forward Zach Sanford on waivers on Tuesday afternoon. He cleared on Wednesday and will likely be assigned to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Like Rem Pitlick, he was brought in to fill out the roster while a bunch of forwards were on injured reserve.
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