Coming in to this one, you would have hoped that the Hawks would have been able to ride in on the momentum they build up against the Sharks and look to take advantage of a struggling Buffalo team, but despite out-shooting the Sabres, they just couldn’t seem to get anything going when it came to the offensive side of the puck. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played fantastic for Buffalo, but the team in front of him played even better to help really slow up the Blackhawks. They did a great job frustrating the Hawks by keeping them out of high-danger areas to prevent any type of second-chance opportunity, and there definitely were some big rebounds left by Luukkonen. At 5 on 5, the Hawks generated 50 shot attempts with 33 landing on net, and only 8 chances came from high-danger areas, and only 4 were registered as shots. Those numbers simply are not going to get the job done, but it really shows what a team game Buffalo played last night. Despite the 4-2 loss, this wasn’t a terrible game for the Hawks. They were battling all night and had a lot of good chances to get back into this. However, once again, a slow start hurts this team and puts them in a spot to have to battle back immediately. This is going to be a huge part of this team's identity that is going to need to change when it becomes time to push for the playoffs.
Three Takeaways Reichel’s Looked Great
I will continue to address the process of Reichel this season, as for me it is a make-or-break year for him in terms of his future as a Blackhawks. Last night, while he only had a team low of 8:21 of ice time, he took advantage of that time to impact the game in a positive way. He made a fantastic heads-up cross-ice pass to a breaking Craig Smith, who put on just an excellent shot on net. Then just 6 minutes later, after a great forecheck, he takes the pass from Smith and puts a perfect shot on net, which leaves a tap-home rebound shot for Smith to tie the game up at two. Being at this game, it was crazy to see the little amount of ice time he actually had, as he seemed more noticeable out there than a lot of the top guys. He was making smart plays and putting himself in great position. Not sure if that translated to the broadcast, but it was a game in the right direction for him. The kid needs more time on ice, and he needs to get a consist role with consist linemates to really let his game develop. I still believe there is a lot of potential in him to be a solid part of this team going forward.
Soderblom Built on His First Game.
You need to ignore the stat line for Soderblom on this one; he posted a.857 save percentage, stopping 18 of the 21 shots he faced. The first goal was one you could debate that he needed to stop, but it was a great shot by Tage Thompson through traffic. The Sabres second goal was just the definition of bad bounces after the puck bounced off Kaiser's skate and then Beck Malenstyn’s skate. You couldn’t recreate that again if you tried. The last goal given up by the Hawks was just a defense letdown as they JJ Peterka was just left alone at the at the wide open backdoor, and there was no chance Soderblom was going to make the save. Say what you will about Soderblom after last season; the kid is still battling and not going to just roll over and give up. While I don’t think he is the long-term answer for this team, I do think there is a role for him going forward, and he could be a very good long-term backup option for the Hawks.
Defensive Roles Need to Be Reevaluated.
The Hawks are in that part of the rebuild where they want to let the kids develop, so load up on older vets. This is obviously the right move, as most of our future d-core are playing in the AHL right now. However, there are still young players up with the big club who I believe should be getting more ice time, and plans should be able to change. Wyatt Kaiser has been doing a fantastic job since returning from illness and has been rewarded with top three minutes for this team. Nolan Allan has also been playing some great hockey out there and is becoming very noticeable out there, yet he is only being given 13:07 of ice time. Another person who has become very noticeable out there is TJ Brodie, and not in a good way. Bad turnovers and taking dumb penalties—he finished this one -2 and just looked awful. I understand not wanting to rush young kids into situations they aren’t ready for, but in this type of season you need to give them the chances. Brodie needs to either come out of the lineup or he needs to be given less ice time. Give Allan more minutes over him or even give Isaac Philips a game or two before Alec Martinez comes off of the IR. This team isn’t in must-win territory, so it's still time to let younger players play a bigger role to see how they handle it. It gives them the experience, the confidence, and a clear picture of what they need to do to be better. Isn’t that the whole point of developing these kids?
Week Ahead
The Hawks are set to play three games this week, which include two at home and one on the road. First up will be the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday as part of the NHL Frozen Frenzy, which sees every single team in action. After that, they wrap up their four-game home stand with a battle against the struggling Nashville Predators. They then wrap up this week's games with a game against Dallas on Saturday, which will kick off a five-game road trip. It will be an interesting week for sure, as on paper they are going to battle with three teams who all have playoff aspirations, and two of them are looking for their moment to turn their season around. That's going to be it for me. Until next time, Lets Go Hawks.
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