Chicago Blackhawks 1st Round Loss To The Preds: The Perfect Storm

1 of 3

It’s still hard to believe that the first seed Chicago Blackhawks lost to the eighth seed Nashville Predators. Yet they were swept in four games. In hindsight, we should have seen the signs.

In the regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks had 50 wins, and finished first in the Western Conference. Going into the playoffs, the Hawks were a favorite to win the Stanley Cup. Yet this past Thursday, they bowed out in an embarrassing first round exit to the Nashville Predators. They couldn’t win even one game. As a matter of fact, they only managed three goals in said four games!

It’s been a few days now since this travesty. Is the sting a little less? Have you come to terms with this horrific defeat? Yeah, I haven’t either.

We may all still be stunned, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we should have seen this coming. The fact of the matter remains that the Chicago Blackhawks far surpassed expectations during the regular season. We as fans were spoiled by this, and were in denial of some glaring weaknesses. Weaknesses that were greatly exposed during the playoffs by a surging Predators team. In a sense, things finally caught up to the Chicago Blackhawks. This loss to the Nashville Predators was a perfect storm of sorts. I’d like to further dissect this below.

Lack of possession.

The Hawks were built on being a possession team. Possess the puck, and you will win games. As a matter of fact, most other teams in the NHL have been trying to emulate this, including the Predators. Unfortunately, the Hawks’ possession numbers have been dipping ever since they won the Cup in 2015. In the regular season, they defied the odds by winning in unorthodox ways. They scored clutch goals. They were supported by solid goaltending.

In the playoffs, things tighten up. As we saw, the clutch goals went away. Their defense was exposed for what it was, too old and too slow. Corey Crawford was hung out to dry, and could only do so much. It was the Nashville Predators that had the better possession numbers, and they therefore dominated play. The Hawks were beaten by their own game.

Mar 29, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook (7) carries the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Chicago won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Suspect defense.

Yes, this is something that should get a lot of attention in the offseason. The Hawks supposedly bolstered their defense with the acquisitions of Brian Campbell at the beginning of the season, and Johnny Oduya at the trade deadline. But neither player met expectations, and this left the Chicago Blackhawks in a world of hurt. Not to mention the fact that these two players are 37 and 35 years old, respectively. They looked old and slow against a younger and faster Predators team.

In the meantime, Duncan Keith was expected to wear the world on his shoulders in this series, as he’s always done in the past. Unfortunately, he’s not Atlas anymore. He’s still a great hockey player, but he’s 33 years old, and he’s seen major wear and tear over the last several years. Sam Fels from Faxes From Uncle Dale put it best. “The past two years they’ve asked him (Keith) to take on the best competition, lock them down defensively, and push the play up the ice as well. Now they can only get one from him. Neither is the wrong choice, but whatever they choose they’re going to have to find someone else to do the other.”

Moving on, Niklas Hjalmarsson is an excellent defensive defenseman. I believe he was forced to try to take on more of an offensive role in this series, and he was overwhelmed. Brent Seabrook is 32 years old, and father time is catching up with him. He hasn’t played well all year. Unfortunately, if he can be convinced to waive his no movement clause, Seabs and his hefty salary should part ways with the Chicago Blackhawks in the offseason.

Lack of four lines.

The Hawks thought they had at least three strong lines going into this series, but that fell apart pretty fast. Let’s look at the first line of Nick Schmaltz, Jonathan Toews, and Richard Panik. Schmaltz struggled with confidence during his first regular season with the Hawks, and had to be sent down to the AHL for some extra seasoning. He came back strong, and helped Toews find his scoring touch in February. Unfortunately, this didn’t transfer over into the playoffs. Schmaltz was understandably thrown off his game, and not prepared for the higher intensity the playoffs bring. Toews is obviously hurt. Panik actually played rather consistently throughout this series. Unfortunately, he fell victim to the lineblender, and was demoted to the third line. He was never able to get anything going.

Let’s talk about the second line of Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov, and Patrick Kane. First off, Panarin only has a few moves; albeit he’s really good at them. Unfortunately, once other teams figure out how to shut him down, he becomes a non-factor. Anisimov is obviously still hurting from his injury during the regular season. And the Preds did an excellent job of taking away Kane’s time and space, despite his numerous shot attempts throughout the series.

Moving on to the third line of Ryan Hartman, Marcus Kruger, and Marian Hossa. The rookie Hartman, like Schmaltz, was overwhelmed with the intensity of the playoffs, although in a different way. The Preds got under his skin and his temper flared. That didn’t translate into the game the Hawks wanted from Hartman. I still think Tanner Kero should have taken the third line center spot instead of Krugs. He also was one of the Hawks that played well in this series, and he could have given that line more of an offensive punch. Ah, and then there’s Hossa. He had such a great regular season, but for whatever reason it didn’t transfer into the playoffs.

Finally, we know there never was a feasible fourth line. John Hayden only played in one game. And it’s pretty unfair to expect this kid to make any kind of impact; he just got there (12 games in the regular season)! Dennis Rasmussen had one of the Hawks three goals. In my opinion, he should’ve had a much more regular spot in the lineup to prepare him for the playoffs. As such, he only played in three of the four games in the playoffs. Calling up the rookie Vinnie Hinostroza and throwing him in for just one game? Just unfair. And ex-Pred Jordin Tootoo was a bust.

Again, you knew there was no fourth line when Q went with seven defensemen and double-shifted Kane in Game 4. It was a desperation move that obviously didn’t pay off.

Apr 17, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Kevin Fiala (56) celebrates with center Calle Jarnkrok (19) after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime of game three of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators won in overtime 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Surging Preds.

Now that we’ve discussed the weaknesses of the Chicago Blackhawks, it’s time to give credit to the Nashville Predators. This is a team that wanted it more. They were motivated by the fact that they were eliminated from the playoffs by Chicago twice already. Unlike the Hawks, they had to claw their way into the playoffs, so they didn’t take it for granted.

More from Blackhawk Up

This is a team, by the way, that is coming together at just the right time. The Preds are playing excellent hockey, and led by their dynamic first line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Viktor Arvidsson. Goaltender Pekka Rinne is completely focused and on his game. The entire team is playing hard; they are playing as a cohesive unit, and a team that wants to win at all costs. It will be interesting to see how far they can take it.

Finally, I’d like to touch base on the argument that the Chicago Blackhawks didn’t have the compete level they needed for this series. Yeah, well, they might have taken the Preds a little too lightly. But once the wheels fell off in practically every conceivable way, they were simply too stunned to react. It was a perfect storm of events that finally caught up to them, and they knew they had no answer. I think they knew it long before the rest of us did.

Next: Blackhawks and Seabrook Should Part Ways

I wouldn’t question this team going forward. This defeat isn’t going to go quietly into the night. The Hawks will regroup; and they will be hungry. Which is why next season is going to be so darn fun! Keep on tuning in to Blackhawk Up, my friends! We have all kinds of things to talk about while we wait for October!

Home / Analysis