NEWSLETTER
Seven is usually a positive number. It’s my favorite number. It’s often associated with luck or good fortune. That is, unless you’re talking about a seven-game losing streak, which is the case for the Chicago Blackhawks, who fell to the Stars on Sunday night, their seventh loss in a row.
• The first period looked like the Blackhawks might be able to hang around in this one as they went goal-for-goal with Dallas, with a bit of luck, of course. With Dallas on top 1-0 early, the Blackhawks tied things up when Philipp Kurashev’s pass intended for Jonathan Toews on a 2-on-1 rush deflected off the skate of Stars’ defenseman Esa Lindell’s skate when Lindell attempted to break up the pass to Toews.
https://twitter.com/FourFeathersPod/status/1513298514364801026?s=20&t=ole6R4dxDpMfNbyMWlGxWA
• The Blackhawks got a similar break later in the period when a Jonathan Toews shot from outside the circle deflected off of the stick of none other than Esa Lindell and past Stars’ goaltender Jake Oettinger to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.
https://twitter.com/FourFeathersPod/status/1513299868525158403?s=20&t=ole6R4dxDpMfNbyMWlGxWA
• It initially looked like Kirby Dach might have gotten his stick on it for the re-direct, but the replay showed that it was indeed Lindell who knocked it in for his second own goal of the period. Kirby Dach would, however, score a goal on Sunday night; unfortunately, it was too little too late for the Blackhawks by the time Dach found the back of the net late in the third period.
Kirby Dach scores against the Dallas Stars to make it 6-4 #CHIvsDAL #Blackhawks #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/mKQeRaxbgK
— nopClips (@nopClips) April 11, 2022
• Boris Katchouk told the media after Sunday’s morning skate that he wasn’t concentrated on getting his first point as a member of the Blackhawks, but he sure looked relieved when he actually did it on Sunday night.
https://twitter.com/FourFeathersPod/status/1513312821903343620?s=20&t=ole6R4dxDpMfNbyMWlGxWA
• Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, it was a ROUGH night for Kevin Lankinen between the pipes. Lankinen struggled to track and stay with anything as he surrendered five goals on 20 shots through the first two periods before Derek King went with Collin Delia to open the final period.
Derek King on Lankinen/Delia:
"We could’ve used a couple stops here and there and I’m sure the goalies feel the same way."
"[Lankinen] was having an off night, just like some of our players have had off nights. It’s just magnified with the goalie."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 11, 2022
• More on Lankinen’s struggles and Derek King’s thoughts on them:
No NHL coach will ever blame a loss on his goalie, but Derek King couldn't completely skirt around Kevin Lankinen's struggles in tonight's 6-4 loss.
"We could’ve used a couple stops here and there."
Postgame story: https://t.co/iv8BDgU6L2
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 11, 2022
• Despite being on the ice before practice on Saturday, Connor Murphy’s return this season is still very much up in the air. However, Murphy doesn’t hold any hard feelings towards Ottawa’s Parker Kelly over the collision that landed Murphy in concussion protocol on March 12.
Connor Murphy holds no hard feelings against Parker Kelly, the Senators forward who injured him back on March 12.
"I understand what that’s like, closing on a guy and making the decision to hit him not realizing how vulnerable he could be."
Story: https://t.co/6Xa7eHpgNW
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 11, 2022
• With Marian Hossa’s No. 81 heading to the rafters next season, Mark Lazerus takes a look at other Blackhawks who might be in line to join Hossa in the United Center rafters in the coming years:
Blackhawks jersey-retirement power rankings: Now that Marian Hossa's 81 is going up, who will be joining him in the rafters?https://t.co/inRB3j3BNY pic.twitter.com/9y77wxWSL3
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 11, 2022
• Pat Foley has just two games left before he closes the book on his historic career in the Blackhawks TV booth. Joe Brand and Chris Boden will be chatting with Foley on Blackhawks Live tonight on WGN Radio, and you’ll want to tune into that one if you’re free.
Set your reminders now.
Legendary @NHLBlackhawks broadcaster Pat Foley will be on #Blackhawks Live tonight with @Joe_Brand1 and @BodenTweets at 7 PM! 🚨
STREAM: https://t.co/87SYPihZlL pic.twitter.com/eTcvYU9WLP
— WGN Radio Sports (@WGNRadioSports) April 11, 2022
• Despite there being just 10 games left in the season, there’s plenty to play for when it comes to some of the younger players on the team. Derek King said that Kyle Davidson’s evaluations have begun and that they’re having conversations about such already, so it would behoove some of the youngsters on the roster to play like their futures depend on it down the stretch:
Kyle Davidson's evaluation process surely is underway. Some of the young Blackhawks need to turn it on down the stretch if they want to stick around.
"If you want to stay in this league, you better be consistent with your compete level."
Story: https://t.co/IKso0FtCVU
— Patrick K. Flowers (@PatrickKFlowers) April 10, 2022
• This is pretty wild! Jordan Staal logged a hat trick for the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night, his first hat trick in 14 years! Stall’s last hat trick came 4,898 days ago when he played for the Pittsburgh Penguins. That span of nearly 5,000 days in between hat tricks is an NHL record (h/t NHL PR).
Jordan Staal x3
That's an @Enterprise hat trick for the @Canes' captain! 🥵 pic.twitter.com/ipeElo316B
— NHL (@NHL) April 11, 2022
• Our old friend Marc-André Fleury was having a rough start on Sunday evening, allowing three goals in the first 10 minutes of the opening frame in Minnesota, but his guys had his back. The Wild scored six unanswered goals the rest of the way for a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings (who will be in town tomorrow night).
SIX. UNANSWERED. GOALS. 😤
It was a wild comeback — see the @GuaranteedRate Replay for yourself.
Cc: @mnwild pic.twitter.com/thEKMlvAQF
— NHL (@NHL) April 10, 2022
• Congratulations to Blackhawks’ strength and conditioning coach, Paul Goodman, who worked his 1,000th NHL game last night!
Congrats to our strength & conditioning coach Paul Goodman who's working his 1,000th game tonight! pic.twitter.com/RIQ93DSFOn
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 10, 2022
• Ben Pope recently spoke with Goodman about his time here in Chicago and what the future looks like for the veteran strength and conditioning coach:
Paul Goodman will work his 1,000th game for the Blackhawks tonight, having provided invaluable S&C support for 14 years.
But he's not going anywhere.
"It’s not a question in my mind we’re going to win again. And I want to be there for it."
Story: https://t.co/Iyl1AUsS6V
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 10, 2022
• That’s it for today!
