Recap: Lightning down Blackhawks, 4-2

  

The Blackhawks entered Friday night’s game in Amalie, FL with an 8-9-5 record and struggling to demonstrate how their recent coaching change has had any meaningful impact.

Worse still, last night’s opponent was Eastern Conference powerhouse Tampa Bay, sporting a 15-6-1 record. Pretender meet contender.

Oddly enough, this was the game where new Chicago head coach Jeremy Colliton chose to draw human traffic cone Brandon Manning back in to the lineup, supplanting Henri Jokiharju. But perhaps, in the face of a fast, relentless Lightning attack, Colliton saw a benefit in experience over youth and talent.

Well, perhaps, in theory.

The Blackhawks lines and pairing were as follows:

Saad-Toews-Kane

Schmaltz-Anisimov-DeBrincat

Fortin-Kampf-Kahun

Kunitz- Johnson-Kruger

Keith-Seabrook

Gustafsson-Forsling

Manning-Rutta

Corey Crawford got the net for Chicago, while, if there was any good news for Chicago coming in, lefty goaler Louis Domingue was between the pipes for the Lightning, replacing the injured Andrei Vasilevskiy.

FIRST PERIOD

It took the Lightning all of 29 seconds to get Tyler Johnson inexplicably wide open in the slot and a 1-0 lead at 19:31.

Johnson was set up again by linemate Nikita Kucherov at 12:45, making the score 2-0.

By midway through the period, the Lightning held a 12-4 shot advantage. Only a brilliant glove save by Corey Crawford at 10:17 prevented Johnson from getting the unlikely first period hat trick.

But, have no fear, the Lightning’s Brayden Point would beat a helpless Crawford at 9:55, making the score 3-0—all tallied against the Hawks’ top line.

To this point, the Hawks were consistently behind the play and the Lightning up and down the ice.

About a minute later, Alex DeBrincat found Artem Anisimov wide open in front of the Lightning net, giving Chicago a bit of life, 3-1 Lightning at 8:50.

Perhaps emblematic of the Hawks’ fortunes, Alex Fortin got free for a long stretch pass and clean breakaway on Domingue at 6:45—only to have his stick shatter when he tried to launch a wrister. And just to make the sequence complete, Ryan Callahan undressed defensive stalwart Erik Gustafsson between the circles in the Chicago zone and put his own wrister past Crawford, making it 4-1 with 5:08 left in the frame.

The Lightning ended the period on a power play, taking a 19-11 shots advantage into the dressing room. For those keeping score at home, that’s a 57-shot pace.

But sure, “accountable” hockey genius John McDonough assured the fanbase that the roster was better than its record when it was 6-6-3, and replacing the Hall of Fame coach was just the thing needed to turn it around.

Right.

SECOND PERIOD.

The Hawks killed the remainder of the penalty to start the period. But found themselves back on the penalty kill at 16:21 after a too many men call, which Chicago eventually killed. And, within 2 minutes, the Lightning were back on the man advantage, following a Jan Rutta penalty. If there was a positive for the Hawks to this point in the game, it was penalty killing—as the Hawks executed their third straight kill against the Tampa power play.

Bright spot: Jonathan Toews scooped up a Domingue rebound and outworked Point for a late second period goal, making it 4-2 at 1:11 left in the second.

And that was how the period would end. Shots were 7-6 Chicago for the period, and certainly Corey Crawford needed the rest. The Hawks had a little life going into the last 20 minutes.

THIRD PERIOD.

Action was fairly even for the first seven-plus minutes, with the Hawks getting a few nice chances on Domingue.

The Hawks got a power play at 11:44 and generated a decent amount  of pressure, but no goals, before Steve Stamkos took a tripping penalty with ten seconds left on the first penalty. The short 5-on-3 failed to convert.

On the ensuing 5-on-4, the Hawks first shot was, you guessed it, Patrick Kane from the right halfboard right into Domingue’s crest, after the puck had been pushed around, you got it, the perimeter for thirty-odd seconds. Penalty killed.

Crawford was pulled at 2:50 of the third, in a desperate ploy to even up the game. With the extra attacker, the Hawks were able to generate quite a few fruitless chances in close at around 1:45-1:35.

After that, pfffffffffft. Final score, 4-2. The Hawks did finish the game with a 32-29 shot advantage, for what that’s worth.

THE GOOD.

A few Hawks came to play and compete in this game. Unfortunately, most of them were lower line players like Marcus Kruger, Fortin and Dominik Kahun. The Anisimov line was OK and got a few nice chances, including one of the goals. You’d like to say more for Toews with an effort goal and 73% in the dot, but he and the rest of his line were all -2 and sleepwalked through the first period. Crawford was also OK, in spite of the first period barrage and terrible defense in front of him.

THE BAD

The team as a whole showed up and played like it was hungover or just ready to mail it in. It is almost unfair really to criticize the inexperienced Colliton as one normally would in this circumstance—but without question, this lack of preparation and drive cannot be laid at Joel Quenneville’s feet either, can it?

THE UGLY

Erik Gustafsson continues to be a really bad defensive player, at the defense position no less. Enough said there.

The Hawks are 8-10-5 and head across Florida to face the Panthers tomorrow night. We’ll have the Rink.com preview Saturday AM. Comment on this one below.

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Center Ice Forums Recap: Lightning down Blackhawks, 4-2

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  • #10287
    John Jaeckel
    Participant

    The Blackhawks entered Friday night’s game in Amalie, FL with an 8-9-5 record and struggling to demonstrate how their recent coaching change has had a
    [To continue reading full article, click here: Recap: Lightning down Blackhawks, 4-2]

    #10290
    Alan Parsons
    Participant

    Every game that goes by, Im more and more inclined to believe that firing Joel Quenneville was the most merciful thing they could have done for him.  This was a team that was aging faster than it should, and full of mediocre young players and some terrible veteran additions.  This is a team built to tank now.   They are lying to the fanbase.  This isnt a remodeling.  This isnt a reloading.  Its a tanking.  And there was no way Q was going to oversee a tanking.  He may have been partially responsible for the awful last few years, but the front office is also responsible.   There was no way any of their NMCs were getting waived if Q was behind the bench.  I would expect a lot of soul searching from the NMCs on the team, and I would not be surprised to see the tear down publically start in January.  Because this team fucking blows.

    #10291
    Alan Parsons
    Participant

    There are 2 assets saving this team right now.  Patrick Kane and Corey Crawford.  Toews and Saad are helping.   I dont know that anyone is gonna want anybody else on the team.  I guess Jokiharju could get some looks, but really, there arent many other pieces anyone would be trading for.  Schmaltz is who he is, mostly invisible and not adding anything to the scoresheet.  Debrincat could be a stud on the right team. Got to get him playing with good players. But…Yuck.   They flash for a few minutes here and there, mostly because Crow bailed them out.   This just isnt a good team.    And Colliton should rightly be called out for benching Jokiharju.   That is just idiocy.   Manning is hot garbage.

    #10293
    helterhaze
    Participant

    per John Jaeckal: “Erik Gustafsson continues to be a really bad defensive player, at the defense position no less. Enough said there.”  The exact same thing can now be said about Duncan Keith. Watching Keith is painful – he is slow, very tentative, and is constantly making bad passes and even worse turnovers that lead directly to goals against. It’s sad but Keith is cooked. The other player who is useless is Schmaltz. All I ever see him do is skate around with the puck before turning it over or taking a meaningless shot from the outside.

    #10299
    Under Qs moustache
    Participant

    JJ an excellent point that the move to remove Q was to get a NTC contract or two off the books as the loyalty to Quenville would not be there with a new coach( if indeed a rebuild was underway)

    My issue was with McD. He and Stanbo promised us a competitive team, you know “One Goal”. But it’s not happening. The over paid core isn’t what it used to be. This is not just in Chicago either. Look at LA and Pitt. Up til last year the Hawks and those 2 controlled the cup for the last 10 years or so, and all 3 suck. And pretty much for the same reasons. Bottom 6 don’t score. In LA its the whole team. With Doughty’s deal kicking in next year they are in for some rough cap times.

    The Hawks have talent, just not enough NHL talent to keep up wit the rest of the NHL. Stan’s win now may have given us 3 cups but it’s time to pay the bill with below average teams.

    Should the Hawks lose a core player or two in the off season or at the TDL, it will be a return to the dead puck era Hawks (now more the dead PP Hawks)

    #10303
    Alan Parsons
    Participant

    kane, schmaltz and keith to colorado for their first round picks and tyson barrie..

    #10310
    6628
    Participant

    To be fair, I gave up counting how many games the hawks started not ready to play when Quenville was coach, so that’s nothing new.

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