10 observations: Hawks banged up in shutout loss to Canadiens originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks were shut out for the seventh time this season after losing to the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 at Bell Centre on Tuesday.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. This was a close hockey game for the first two and a half periods, but the wheels fell off midway through the third when the Blackhawks allowed two goals in 52 seconds after giving up a goal roughly five minutes before that. The final score wasn’t indicative of how the overall game went, but it was reflective of just how badly the third period got away from the visiting team.
2. Jaxson Stauber got the start and he was very solid. He came up particularly big in the second period to keep it at a one-goal deficit. Hard to fault him for any of the goals against, especially the first one, which was a point shot by Justin Barron on the power play that went off Colin Blackwell’s shin pad and in. Stauber had no chance on it with four players screening him as well. The 23-year-old rookie picked up his first career NHL loss after becoming the first goaltender in Blackhawks history to win his first three starts.
3. Connor Murphy laid a big hit on Nick Suzuki early on, and Josh Anderson took exception by chasing after Murphy and dropping the gloves. Anderson was given a two-minute instigator, 10-minute misconduct and five for fighting. The Blackhawks had a few decent looks on that power play but couldn’t capitalize. Turned out to be an important power play, too.
4. The Blackhawks had four power-play opportunities total, including a two-man advantage for 1:05 in the second period, but couldn’t cash in on any of them. The Canadiens’ penalty kill had given up a power-play goal in six straight games prior to Tuesday.
5. The Blackhawks generated only 10 scoring chances at even strength, which was tied for their fewest in a game this season, per Natural Stat Trick. Not a great night for the offense.
6. The Blackhawks were crushed by injuries in this game. Jarred Tinordi played only four shifts in the first period and was then ruled out for the rest of the contest. Jason Dickinson went to the locker room towards the end of the second period after blocking a 82-mph shot off his wrist/arm, although he returned for the third. MacKenzie Entwistle also left in the third period for unknown reasons, and Andreas Athanasiou and Max Domi were each seen laboring back to the bench on separate occasions. Brutal.
7. Speaking of Athanasiou, he thought he tied things up at 1-1 in the first period on a breakaway but the goal was waved off because he knocked the net off its moorings after Jake Allen made the initial stop. Looked like he may have kicked it in too, so it probably wouldn’t have counted regardless.
8. I said it when the two teams played in November and I’ll say it again: I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that the Kirby Dach trade ends up working out for both sides. Frank Nazar could turn out to be a really good player, same with Gavin Hayes, and the Canadiens also feel like they found a top-six piece in Dach. A potential win-win scenario, but let’s revisit years down the road.
9. Luke Richardson returned to Montreal for the first time since being hired as the head coach of Chicago. He spent four seasons as an assistant with the Canadiens, and he got a nice ovation during the first TV timeout. I’m sure he would’ve loved to get a win in his old stomping grounds. Heck, even just a goal.
10. Seth Jones quietly appeared in his 700th career NHL game, and he’s still only 28. He’s got a lot of mileage on him and yet he still has so much hockey left. He celebrated the milestone by logging 24:33 of ice time, which led all skaters.
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