Blackhawks 0, Canucks 3 — Three Stars, Key Takeaways
The Blackhawks won their last game in Calgary against a team desperately trying to get into the playoffs, so what would they have for a team in the lottery race in the Canucks? How about absolutely nothing. This game was flat for almost a full 60 minutes. At least some of us watched the two exciting Frozen Four games to stay awake until the 9 PM CT puck drop…
Star 1: Kyle Davidson
After winning in Calgary, the Blackhawks needed a loss to keep pace with Anaheim and Columbus for the cellar in the NHL. Anaheim lost on Wednesday night and Columbus was blown out earlier on Thursday evening. With San Jose and Arizona also losing on Thursday night, the regulation loss was critical for the Blackhawks’ draft lottery odds.
Star 2: Alex Stalock
Another night with the Blackhawks’ goaltender doing everything he could to keep his team close enough to make things interesting. Only problem: the Blackhawks forgot to bring the offense with them from Calgary. Stalock stopped 26 of 28 in the game.
Star 3: Celeb Jones
Caleb led Blackhawks defensemen with five hits and three blocked shots. And he didn’t get put on his butt by Andrei Kuzmenko like his brother did (oops). Caleb was also second among Chicago defensemen in ice time, second behind Seth in power play ice time among blue liners, and was credited with two shots on net. His versatility has been valuable this season.
Takeaways
- In the middle of the third period, Taylor Raddysh left the ice awkwardly and Reese Johnson took an elbow to the face that dropped him behind the net. Obviously not the time of year to have guys getting hurt, but the Blackhawks don’t have any extra forwards hanging around right now. Hopefully they’re both fine in time for Saturday’s game.
- With Boston University’s season over, it will be interesting to see if Drew Commesso makes any appearances in Chicago or Rockford down the stretch this season or if he waits out the summer to make his professional debut. Stalock was good tonight and Mrazek has been adequate most of the time. And, frankly, the Blackhawks don’t need an improvement right now.
- I love seeing Jonathan Toews still barking at his teammates and opponents. The passion is still there. For what it’s worth, the Captain won 10 of 14 faceoffs in the game and skated 18 minutes.
