10 observations: Hawks allow 6 goals on first 7 shots in loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks were routed by the Seattle Kraken 8-5 at the United Center on Saturday.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. What a wild first period. Petr Mrazek was pulled after allowing four goals on his first five shots, which forced the Blackhawks to make a goalie change. Alex Stalock then gave up a goal 37 seconds after entering in relief that made it 5-1, which forced head coach Luke Richardson to call a timeout. Well, 26 seconds after the timeout, the Blackhawks gave up their sixth goal on seven shots. I’ve never seen anything like that.
2. The game got so laughably out of hand in the first period that the crowd started cheering every Blackhawks save. It could’ve been worse, too. Jake McCabe committed a four-minute high-sticking penalty but the Blackhawks killed it off.
3. Kraken defensemen Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson were on the ice for all six of the team’s goals in the first period. They had a +6 rating through 20 minutes. Also, all 12 Kraken forwards recorded a point, and Jared McCann finished the game with a hat trick. Crazy.
4. Chicago’s second line of Tyler Johnson, Taylor Raddysh and Jonathan Toews outshot the Kraken 3-0 when they were on the ice together at even strength in the first period, per Natural Stat Trick. They had a +1 rating through 20 minutes. Raddysh, quietly, had a three-point effort. It was the only line that was going for the Blackhawks.
5. The Kraken scored all eight of their goals at even strength. They went 0-for-2 on the power play.
6. Want a positive? OK, I got one! Isaak Phillips scored his first career NHL goal, and it was a pretty backhander. Stick-tap for Jason Dickinson for scooping up the puck for him. Phillips has been solid in the last two games since being healthy scratched.
7. Patrick Kane made his return to the lineup after missing the last three games with a lower-body injury, and he scored a goal with 14.7 seconds left in regulation. The Blackhawks scored nine goals from nine different players with him out. They’re going to need that secondary scoring to carry over with him back in the lineup.
8. The Kraken improved to 16-4-2 on the road this season, and they even handed Boston its first home regulation loss of the season on Thursday. They also set a new NHL record on Saturday for the longest winning streak to start a road trip at seven games. Road warriors.
9. I’m not totally surprised by the Kraken’s success this season, but I am surprised by how they’re doing it. I thought it would be because of tight, low-scoring, defensive hockey, but it’s mostly because of their offense. They went into the day ranked No. 3 in goals per game and I imagine they’ll have jumped up after this game.
10. Lukas Reichel was reassigned to Rockford on Friday after an impressive three-game stint. I would’ve liked to see him stay a little longer — and I’m not sure why he wasn’t put on the first power-play unit — but ultimately, I think it’s the right move for him to continue his development in the NHL. I wrote about why here, and Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson explained the decision here.
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