In nine games so far during November, the Chicago Blackhawks have only two regulation losses on their record. Both have come at the hands of the Seattle Kraken.
The Blackhawks looked to be well on the way to their sixth win in seven games, as they were in full control with a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes at the United Center on Thursday.
Then, the third period happened.
Two quick goals on redirects from Tye Kartye and Shane Wright suddenly had the score tied 2-2, and Seattle went on to pick up the game-winner in controversial fashion in the final minutes.
Connor Bedard, who was coming off his second hat trick of the season in Tuesday’s win, generated a partial breakaway chance for himself with under five minutes remaining in the third period. As Bedard wheeled into the offensive zone and went to shoot the puck, Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren appeared to whack the 20-year-old across the hands, which prevented a shot from getting on net.
Watching the play from the corner was referee Justin Kea, who deemed that Lindgren made a clean stick check on Bedard during the sequence. Bedard couldn’t believe there wasn’t a penalty called, and he quickly turned to Kea in disbelief and voiced his opinion. To make matters worse, Kea threw Bedard into the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct, which seemed like a crazy decision so late in the game.
Seattle was handed a power-play opportunity with under four minutes remaining, and Jaden Schwartz proceeded to score the game-winning goal with just 2:18 left to play.
While Bedard, head coach Jeff Blashill, and loads of Blackhawks fans were rightfully upset with Kea for a horrible decision in crunch time, that wasn’t what cost the team from winning Thursday’s game. It was their horrendous play in the third period.
10 Observations:
1. Costly Third Period — Coming into Thursday, the Blackhawks were 6-0-0 when leading through two periods this season. They had also outscored their opponents 33-15 in the third. On the flip side, Seattle was just 1-5-1 when trailing after 40 minutes. This should have been a slam-dunk victory for Chicago, especially with how well they fared in the middle frame. Instead, they got throttled by the Kraken down the stretch. Seattle led 19-5 in shot attempts, 12-3 in shots on goal, 11-2 in scoring chances, and 6-2 in high-danger chances in the period. The Blackhawks went the opening 14 minutes without recording a single shot on goal. That’s not how you close out hockey games.
2. Welcome Back, Bert! — Tyler Bertuzzi has been phenomenal for the Blackhawks this season, and his presence was missed in his two games out of the lineup, even though they both resulted in wins. Bertuzzi, as always, was a menace on Thursday, particularly in the second period. He scored his 10th goal of the season, made a wicked pass to pick up the primary assist on Teuvo Teravainen’s tally, and drew two penalties in the second stanza. On the night, Chicago led 9-2 in scoring chances and 6-1 in high-danger chances with Bertuzzi on the ice at even strength. Great to have him back.
3. Burakovsky Takes Big Bump — For the second consecutive game, the Blackhawks were on the wrong end of a brutal hit to the head that went uncalled. In the latter stages of the first period, Andre Burakovsky was crunched by Lindgren while skating into the offensive zone, and the defenseman’s shoulder appeared to make direct contact with his head. Burakovsky skated off the ice under his own power, but he immediately headed down the tunnel and into the dressing room. The Swedish forward did not return to the game, and Blashill already ruled him out for Friday’s tilt against the Buffalo Sabres. Burakovsky has gotten off to an extraordinary start to his Blackhawks tenure, so let’s hope his absence isn’t for too long.
4. Teravainen Stays Hot — Teravainen opened November with four straight scoreless performances, but he’s gotten his game back on track over the past two weeks. The 2015 Stanley Cup champion tallied one goal and one assist on Thursday, giving him six points (3G, 3A) in the last five outings. Teravainen is now tied with Burakovsky for third on the team with 15 points this season. The Blackhawks need him to be a consistent point producer in the middle six, and he’s done a better job of that lately.
5. Levshunov’s Roller-Coaster Ride — Compared to some stretches last year and during the early portion of this season, Artyom Levshunov has been much more structured in his defensive play over the past month. It’s not surprising that he’s played the best hockey of his young NHL career during that time frame. While Levshunov looked excellent and netted his 11th assist early in the game, his shaky defense cost the Blackhawks in the third period. The 2024 No. 2 overall pick was on the ice for Seattle’s first two goals, and he played a part in both of them being scored. Levshunov finished with a minus-two rating in 15:20 of ice time. He had played at least 16:30 in each of the previous seven games.
6. Nazar Extends Point Streak — Frank Nazar has now found his way on the stat sheet in all three games since returning from an injury. Nazar had the secondary assist on Bertuzzi’s opening goal and was one of the more active Blackhawks forwards on Thursday. He finished with four shots on goal and a plus-one rating in 20:09 of ice time.
7. Knight Deserved Better — Spencer Knight was perfect through two periods, as he stopped all 15 shots Seattle threw on net. But the Blackhawks let their star goaltender down in the final frame, as they were hemmed in the defensive zone and did a poor job of getting the puck out of harm’s way. There wasn’t anything Knight could have done differently on any of the three goals, as two were scored on redirects, and the other came from right on top of the crease. He ended up stopping 24 of 27 shots faced for his fourth regulation loss of the season.
8. Rare Mistake From Mikheyev — The Blackhawks were on their heels for most of the third period, and they went to the penalty kill just over two minutes in. Ilya Mikheyev was called for hooking Ryker Evans, which was just his second penalty of the season. For all his great defensive play, Mikheyev has done a wonderful job at staying out of the penalty box. But he committed a costly infraction on Thursday that allowed Seattle to gain momentum and storm back from a 2-0 deficit.
9. PK Gives Up Big Goal Again — For the second consecutive game, the Blackhawks’ penalty kill gave up a crucial goal. On Tuesday, they allowed Matt Coronto to score just before the second intermission to make it a one-goal game. Against the Kraken, the PK wasn’t able to bail out Bedard and get a pivotal kill late in the contest, as Schwartz scored on the man advantage to seal the deal. After going five straight games without allowing a power-play tally, the PK is 5-for-7 in the last two appearances.
10. Slaggert Scratched — With Bertuzzi back in the lineup, the Blackhawks had 12 healthy forwards on their active roster again. Blashill often dresses only 11, and that was the case against the Kraken. Landon Slaggert ended up being the lone healthy scratch, and with Jason Dickinson on the verge of returning from injured reserve, ice time might not get any easier to come by. You have to wonder if Slaggert is going to be returning to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL in the coming days. The Blackhawks don’t want him to be a regular outside the lineup in the NHL.
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