Chicago Blackhawks: 10/10 Game Recap and Standout Players

A game recap and standout players in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 5-4 loss to San Jose.

The Chicago Blackhawks dropped the home opener against the Sharks, after losing 5-4 in a back and forth game. Despite coming out with high energy in the first period, the Blackhawks faded fast midway through the second period and could not regain momentum.

There were many standout players from the Blackhawks, both good and bad. To start things off, we will highlight the good standouts first.

The Good

Dominik Kubalik

The third line of Brandon Saad, David Kampf, and Dominik Kubalik came out buzzing to start the first period. After a couple of good scoring chances, Kubalik potted a quick rebound to put the Blackhawks up 1-0 to secure his first career goal in the NHL.

Kubalik ended up taking Nylander’s spot on the first line after tallying an impressive six shots on goal in the first period. The offense cooled down after the first, but it was a solid home opener for the rookie.

Andrew Shaw

Andrew Shaw appeared to not skip a beat in his return to the United Center as a Blackhawk. His performance showcased what endeared him to Chicago fans from his first run with the Chicago Blackhawks.

He had a mix of offense, grit, and of course, penalties. Shaw ended the night with two goals on five shots.

In the post game media scrum, Coach Jeremy Colliton had some high praise for Shaw,

"“We’re a better team because we have him.”"

The trio of Andrew Shaw, Alex DeBrincat, and Dylan Strome were the most effective offensive line of the night. They scored 3 of the Blackhawks’ 4 goals.

The Bad

Alexander Nylander

Alexander Nylander was invisible for most of the night, and if he wasn’t invisible, it was for the wrong reasons. Nylander was taken off of the first line prior to the end of the first period and was double shifted by Patrick Kane later in the game.

Nylander, with the aid of Erik Gustafsson, gave up the game-winning goal when the Sharks’ Barclay Goodrow was left open in front of the net, after the duo both tried to cover the Sharks’ Melker Karlsson on the boards.

After a tough game from Nylander, I suspect Brendan Perlini might take his spot in the lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks’ next game on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.

Jeremy Colliton

After a full training camp this season, there are high expectations for coach Colliton to get his team off to a good start. The team is now 0-2 and he has to take some of the responsibility for this loss to the Sharks.

After moving the red hot Dominik Kubalik from the the third line to the first line, the momentum shifted towards the Sharks. The third line started off great, but after the switch late in the first period, the third line did not have a good offensive opportunity for the rest of the game.

When a line is buzzing, there is no reason to separate them in an attempt to get another line going. After a 57.58% Corsi in the first period, the Corsi dropped to a 26.47% in the second and a horrendous 19.05% in the third.

Moving Forward

The Chicago Blackhawks will look to rebound after a deflating loss, as they set their sights on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, October 12th. The Jets are coming off three straight wins and will try to take advantage of the struggling ‘Hawks in an important Central Division match up.