10 observations: Stalock shines but Hawks shut out by Vegas originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
LAS VEGAS — The Blackhawks were shut out by Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. Since the Golden Knights entered the league in 2017, the Blackhawks have beaten them only four times in 18 games, which includes the 2020 postseason bubble. One of those wins came in a shootout. Vegas has Chicago’s number, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, given the state of both organizations.
2. Alex Stalock made just his second NHL start in three years after being diagnosed with myocarditis in November of 2020. He got a little scrambly at times in the net, but he was otherwise terrific. He stopped the first 14 shots he faced and finished with 36 saves on 37 shots for a save percentage of .973.
3. The Blackhawks committed six penalties on Wednesday in Colorado and gave up four power-play goals. They went nearly 40 minutes without committing one against Vegas but ended up with three total. They killed off all three without too much trouble. Progress.
4. It was an evenly-matched first and third period; the difference was in the middle frame. At even strength, the Blackhawks trailed in shot attempts (24-8), shots on goal (12-4), scoring chances (13-3) and high-danger chances (3-0) in the second period, per Natural Stat Trick. The Golden Knights capitalized when Paul Cotter jumped out of the penalty box and scored on a 2-on-1 chance, which turned out to be the only goal of the game.
5. When the Golden Knights’ second line of Brett Howden, Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone was on the ice at even strength, scoring chances were 12-2 Vegas. That trio had its way.
6. The official total might be more, but I counted rookie defenseman Filip Roos defending a 2-on-1 odd-man rush three times in this game. He actually played all three of them pretty well. Welcome to the NHL, kid.
7. The Blackhawks were credited with 33 hits against Colorado. They had 41 against Vegas. I don’t know if they necessarily want that to be their identity, but it does show that they want to be a hard team to play against.
8. Connor Murphy left pregame warmups early after taking a puck to the face off a Philipp Kurashev shot. He took a puck to the lip in practice a few days ago and needed stitches. Dude can’t catch a break. He still suited up and played but he’ll probably be eating soup for the next couple days.
9. The Golden Knights weren’t getting a ton of love in the preseason, but I think they will be a playoff team. They look really fast, and Bruce Cassidy’s system should benefit this group. Don’t sleep on Logan Thompson as a Calder Trophy candidate. He was great.
10. Before training camp, Patrick Kane flew to Toronto to participate at the Biosteel Camp with the NHL’s top players. I’m told he skated on a line with Jack Eichel for the majority of it. I’m sure that would’ve been fun to watch. I think Eichel is going to have a monster season. He was flying in Los Angeles on Tuesday night and was noticeable on Thursday.
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