NEWSLETTER
The Blackhawks hadn’t crapped the bed for a full 60 minutes in a couple weeks, so maybe they were due a less-than-great effort. Monday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes — one of the teams many feel could challenge for a Stanley Cup championship this season — was as flat as they have been all year, and certainly their worst effort since the Islanders were in town. They didn’t generate many good scoring chances and, when they did, they couldn’t finish.
It was an ugly night at the United Center that ended with the Blackhawks suffering their third shutout loss of the year.
Star 1: Military Personnel at the United Center
The Blackhawks gave us little/nothing to cheer for on the ice, sadly. But one thing about Blackhawks fans and Military Appreciation Night has always been, whether the team is a championship contender or a bottom feeder, those in uniform get the loudest ovation. And Monday night was no different. As the team struggled to complete a pass and get a decent shot on net, the fans gave the military members a terrific cheer.
Star 2: Jonathan Toews
When you don’t get many shots on net and don’t score, it’s hard to identify someone on the roster to consider them a “star.” But Toews’ performance was notable from start to finish. As I noted in our pregame notes, the Canes came in ranked third in the NHL in team faceoff percentage (the Hawks were first). Toews went out and dominated the dot — he won 18 of 22 in the game (81.8 percent). And that was the only statistic worth two cents from the Blackhawks on Monday night.
Star 3: The guy on the jumbotron
During the second period when the Blackhawks do their “famous people lookalike” segment, they try to match someone in the crowd to someone they deem famous. On Monday night it was “famous meteorologists.” One of the final weather people was WGN legend Tom Skilling. The guy in the crowd who they picked to “look like” the guy chuckled… and flicked off the camera. Not ideal for the kids in attendance but the most excitement the second period generated.
Takeaways
- Going back to the Islanders game on Nov. 1, the Blackhawks have scored seven goals in six games (366 minutes of ice time). That’s… bad. But when you step back and realize three of those goals came in Anaheim… downright gross. The offense that was supposed to be historically bad has become pretty quiet since the calendar left October in the rear view mirror.
- And two of those goals were scored by Jarred Tinordi…
- An Honorable Mention fourth star goes to Petr Mrazek who got absolutely nothing from the skaters in front of him and Caleb Jones hand-delivered Carolina’s third goal (see the tweet above). Who would have thought six weeks ago that goaltending would be the biggest bright spot on the Blackhawks in November? Mrazek stopped 29 of 32 in the loss.
- Unless you’re showcasing him for a trade partner or really trying to make things painful to watch, it’s time to give Caleb Jones a night off. He’s been brutal lately and his turnover in the second period of Monday’s loss was peak terrible.
