The Chicago Blackhawks were stymied by the stout Los Angeles Kings’ defense throughout the second and third periods in a 3-1 loss at the United Center on Sunday. The loss put an end to Chicago’s five-game point streak and marked the team’s first regulation defeat since the home opener on October 11th to the Montreal Canadiens.
Sunday’s loss held some resemblance to the game two Friday’s ago against Vancouver, where the Blackhawks had a tired and sluggish Canucks’ bunch on the ropes early, only to get out-played over the remainder of the contest on home ice.
Connor Bedard kicked off the scoring in the first period with his third goal of the season, but that marked the only tally of the night for the home squad. Former Blackhawks goaltender Anton Forsberg got the last laugh after a shaky start, as he stopped the other 21 shots that he faced to earn the win in net for Los Angeles.
The Kings successfully killed off a pair of Blackhawks’ power play chances and started to gain steam going into the first intermission. Despite being on the back-end of a road back-to-back, they somehow seemed to grow as the game wore on. Los Angeles scored three unanswered goals and held the Blackhawks to just 12 shots in the final 40 minutes.
“I thought we played really good in the first, probably could’ve been up by two,” Blashill said after the game. “That’s the way we want to play. I thought we kind of self-inflicted in the second in terms of puck management, a couple [bad] decisions and we made the game less direct… [it’s] disappointing for sure because I thought we could’ve carried forward from the first period on. But there’s a learning thing in this.”
Here are the highlights, stats, and key takeaways from Sunday’s loss, which dropped the Blackhawks to 4-3-2 through the first nine games of the season.
FIRST PERIOD
Less than five minutes into the game, the Kings lost forward Warren Foegele for the rest of the night after taking an awkward hit into the boards from captain Nick Foligno. Foegele’s arm appeared to get pinned in between him and the glass, and he was clearly in pain as he headed back to the visitor’s dressing room. Here’s to hoping it’s not too serious of an injury.
Just over two minutes later, the Blackhawks got on the board with a nifty redirect from Bedard on a shot from Ilya Mikheyev. Bedard also received a bit of help from Forsberg, as he kicked the puck into his own net after the initial shot clanged off the post.
The Blackhawks had all the momentum early on in the period and could have added to their lead a couple of different times. Through the first eight minutes of play, they led 13-1 in shot attempts, 5-1 in shots on goal, and 5-1 in scoring chances.
But Forsberg and the Kings limited the Blackhawks to only one goal going into the first intermission, which proved to be pivotal in the point streak coming to an end. The Hawks had an opportunity to grab control of the game, but they let their foot slip off the pedal. Just like they did nine days ago against the Canucks.
SECOND PERIOD
The Kings looked like a different team right from the jump in the second period, as they seemed to gain confidence after hanging in there amid a sloppy start. Arvid Soderblom, who played for the first time in 11 days, wasn’t tested much in the first, but he was under fire early and often in the middle frame.
The Blackhawks got away from their game and were plagued by poor decision-making in the second period. Sam Rinzel, who’s progressed nicely over the first nine games of the season, made perhaps the worst mistake of his rookie campaign so far, with an unforced error at a terrible time. Rinzel coughed up the puck in the offensive zone, which led to a 2-on-1 going the other direction. Alex Laferriere ripped a shot short-side on Soderblom to tie the score 1-1.
The Kings capitalized while the Blackhawks were on their heels, as they grabbed the lead just over a minute later off another giveaway. This time, it was veteran Jason Dickinson who handed the puck over in the offensive zone, and Kevin Fiala raced down the ice and scored a marvelous wraparound goal to put his team ahead 2-1.
Even though the Kings were playing their third game in a four-day stretch, they mustered up the energy to dominate the Blackhawks for the entirety of the period, which is pretty unacceptable. Los Angeles led 19-13 in shot attempts. 8-4 in shots on goal, 11-3 in scoring chances, and 4-1 in high-danger chances in all situations during the second period.
THIRD PERIOD
The Kings went into shutdown mode in the final 20 minutes, and the Blackhawks struggled to get any sustained pressure in the offensive zone. Seemingly every attempt at carrying the puck in or dumping it around the boards was unsuccessful, and they ultimately couldn’t find a way to claw into their deficit.
“They play really boring,” Bedard said after the game. “It’s not like a dig or anything. They sit back a lot and make it hard to get zone entries. We’re putting [the puck] in and trying to go get it, but they’re good at breaking it out. A lot of teams are going to play like that, especially when they have a lead, so we have to figure out how to crack that. That was a good experience for us.”
The Blackhawks had a six-on-four opportunity in the final moments, as the Kings took a penalty just before Soderblom went off for the extra attacker. But a fortuitous bounce from a defensive-zone clear led to an empty-netter for Joel Armia, which put a stamp on the comeback for Los Angeles.
Putrid Power Play
While the second period will be a primary talking point in the loss, the Blackhawks’ lackluster power play played a big factor in the outcome.
The two power-play chances that they failed to convert on in the first period gave the Kings life when they were reeling, and their other three man advantages on the night didn’t go much better.
Not only did the Blackhawks go 0-for-5 on the power play on Sunday, but they only generated three scoring chances, which all came in the dwindling moments of the third period. They registered only one shot on goal in their first four power-play opportunities.
Bertuzzi Was Missed
The Blackhawks struggled to retrieve the puck on their dump-in attempts, both at even strength and on the power play, which is one of Tyler Bertuzzi’s strengths. Sadly, Bertuzzi was out of the lineup for the first time this season on Sunday, and the team sure missed his skill set and presence against the Kings.
Bertuzzi has provided a constant spark of energy and been an impactful player in the top-six forward group in his eight games played. Most recently, he’s skated alongside Bedard on the top line, and Blashill had to tinker with his groupings as a result of his absence.
Blashill mentioned at practice on Saturday that Bertuzzi is currently day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, so there’s a chance he’s able to return when the Blackhawks return to action against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. There’s no question his ability to battle in the dirty areas would have been a huge help for the Blackkhawks’ offense on Sunday.
Mikheyev Exits Early
Mikheyev was arguably the best player for the Blackhawks in this game, as he netted the primary assist on Bedard’s goal, drew a penalty early in the third period, and made several terrific defensive plays, as he seems to always do.
Unfortunately, Mikheyev’s night was cut short, as he exited the game after taking a nasty spill into the boards in the final frame. That put the Blackhawks down to only ten forwards for the remainder of the contest, which didn’t make their attempt at tying up the score any easier.
“We’ll know more tomorrow morning,” Blashill said on Mikheyev’s status. “I don’t think it’s anything long-term. Whether he’s ready for Tuesday or not, I’ll have more knowledge on that tomorrow.”
Lafferty Left Out… Again
For the sixth consecutive game, Sam Lafferty served as a healthy scratch and watched his team play from up in the press box. Blashill utilized an 11-forward, seven-defensemen lineup for the seventh time in the opening nine games, and it doesn’t sound like he’s going to switch up that method anytime soon.
With Dickinson and Andre Burakovsky back in the lineup on Sunday, and Bertuzzi expected to have a short-term absence, it’s not going to get any easier for Lafferty to draw back into the lineup consistently.
However, depending on Mikheyev’s status, there’s a chance that Lafferty plays for the first time in over two weeks against the Senators. Lafferty last suited up during the Blackhawks’ third game of the season against the Canadiens.
For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now and like our Facebook Page.
Follow us on X: