NEWSLETTER
So anyways, shots were 6-6 after the first period and the Blackhawks were down 1-0 thanks to a power play goal from Justin Barron (that went off Colin Blackwell). The action picked up in the second but the Blackhawks were losing players to injuries… and didn’t generate much/any offense. The injuries continued to pile up in the third period, and, eventually, the Canadiens goals followed. At least the Habs and their fans welcomed Luke Richardson back the right way.
Star 1: Mike Gapski
Yes, I’m giving the No. 1 star of the night to the Blackhawks’ head athletic trainer. The Hawks lost a defenseman in the first period and their new top-line center in the second period to injuries, limiting them to 16 skaters for the end of the second period. Thankfully, Jason Dickinson returned for the third period. As Montreal scored their second goal early in the third period, MacKenzie Entwistle collided with Jaxson Stauber and the Blackhawks’ netminder stayed down. Gapski came out and chatted with the goalie and he opted to stay in the game. Andreas Athanasiou also got a little dinged up in the third period. And then Michael Pezzetta absolutely hammered Max Domi in the middle of the period. And Entwistle went to the room later in the third.
The Blackhawks have a seventh defenseman on the trip (Ian Mitchell) but not a 13th forward or third goalie. And they play in Toronto on Wednesday night.
Star 2: Jaxson Stauber
Stauber wasn’t tested much in the first period and only gave up the one goal that redirect off a teammate. In the second? He was under siege for most of the period. He stopped all 13 shots he faced and many of them were really good looks. The only reason the Blackhawks weren’t chasing three or four after 40 minutes was Stauber. He got trucked by Entwistle but stayed in the game. But the wheels were off, his teammates were dropping like flies and he just didn’t have a chance. His skaters did him no favors and did nothing offensively.
Star 3: Rockford’s Travel Coordinator
With all of the injuries and hard hits the Blackhawks took on Tuesday night — and with a trade deadline coming in a couple short weeks — there might be a few folks needing to plan some travel to join the NHL club in the not-too-distant future.
