10 observations: Blackhawks shut out by Sabres in rescheduled game originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 on Thursday at KeyBank Center in a game that was supposed to be played on Wednesday but got rescheduled due to travel-related weather restrictions.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. The Blackhawks slipped to 0-15-1 in their last 16 road games. They have a -47 goal differential over that span. The skid continues; the last road win came on Nov. 9 against Tampa Bay, which was the Moms trip.
2. The Blackhawks have scored only 12 goals over their last 10 games. They are really struggling to score without Connor Bedard, which isn’t a surprise. This is the fourth time this season the Blackhawks have been shut out.
3. Philipp Kurashev was given a five-minute major penalty for boarding Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson in the third period, and the Sabres scored within the first minute of it extend their lead to 3-0. That was the dagger.
4. Arvid Söderblom made his first start in 13 days. It’s the longest he’s gone all season without a start. He was particularly strong in the first period. Poor kid is still searching for his first win since Nov. 24, which was almost two months ago.
5. The Blackhawks had three power plays in the second period; the first two came when the score was still 0-0. If they capitalize on one of those chances, it’s probably a different game.
6. The Sabres recorded 33 shot attempts in the first period; 12 of them hit the net. They also generated 17 scoring chances, although only five of them came from high-danger areas, per Natural Stat Trick. Buffalo dominated possession in the opening frame but the Blackhawks kept most of their shots and chances to the perimeter.
7. Kevin Korchinski turned down an opportunity to shoot on a clear 2-on-1 in the first period, instead forcing a pass. He took a look at the iPad after the shift and was upset with himself. He knew immediately he made the wrong decision.
8. Ryan Donato was a late scratch due to an illness. Reese Johnson stepped into his spot on the fourth line with Boris Katchouk and Zach Sanford, and I thought that trio was active early on. Johnson led all skaters with five hits.
9. Connor Murphy missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said “it’s not a new injury, it’s just something that’s aggravating him and we just thought to miss a shorter period of time is going to be more beneficial than [trying] to play through and maybe creating a bigger problem down the road.”
10. Nikita Zaitsev was placed on injured reserve with a right knee injury that he suffered in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over San Jose. The Blackhawks’ IR list is back up to seven players.
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