Blackhawks: 3 Takeaways from Game 2 against Golden Knights

Takeaway #1: The Lucas Carlsson Experiment Did Not Work

Before the start of Game 2, it was announced that Adam Boqvist would be a healthy scratch. After having a rough game in the opener and a couple of questionable breakdowns in the Edmonton series, it was still a move that surprised a lot of people.

Since Boqvist was out, this meant that Lucas Carlsson drew into the Hawks lineup. Before Game 2, Carlsson only had 6 games of NHL experience under his belt. It was evident that he was inexperienced, as his defensive positioning cost the Blackhawks big-time. In only 10 minutes and 33 seconds of ice-time, Carlsson had a +/- ratio of -2.

Carlsson looked lost out on the ice. Even being paired with Connor Murphy, the duo left several wide-open shot opportunities in the slot, including Smith’s game-winner.

Like what is Carlsson doing on this play? Him being out of position leads to the wide-open cross-crease look for Smith. I don’t understand what Jeremy Colliton was thinking when putting Carlsson in the lineup. Nicolas Beaudin looked really good in his only NHL appearance so far and had a really good showing at training camp.

According to Colliton, Boqvist was benched because “he needed a rest”. The move also hurt the Blackhawks’ powerplay. Duncan Keith was the only defenseman to get powerplay time, as he tallied over 2 minutes and 30 seconds of ice time during the Hawks two opportunities with the man advantage.

How does someone need a rest when they just got a four-month break from playing hockey? I get that Boqvist hasn’t been playing up to par, but I don’t think benching him was the answer. Boqvist needs to draw back into the lineup for Game 3.

Takeaway #2: What has happened to Alex DeBrincat?

Throughout the season, it is evident that Alex DeBrincat has taken a step back since he signed a contract extension this past summer. Coming off of a season in which he scored 41 goals last year, he was only able to score 18 goals this past season. Some good news for the Hawks is that he is still under his entry-level contract this season, but if his current performance continues when his $6.4 million contract kicks in next season, Chicago could be into some salary cap trouble once again.

While DeBrincat has been playing fairly well in his first-ever playoff appearance so far, (4 assists in 6 games) he still has yet to score a goal. This is not a good sign, as he has been playing with Kirby Dach and Patrick Kane for the majority of the playoff run. He had an impressive training camp, as he scored some goals and had some slick assists during team scrimmages.

Could DeBrincat be becoming more of a playmaker instead of a pure sniper? He has not tallied a goal in his last 9 games but has had 7 assists over that span. His skating ability and speed still look to be top-notch, but his shot accuracy has not been the same this season.

His secondary assist in Game 2 did set the table for the pretty passing play that the Hawks used to tie the game, (see above) but the Blackhawks will need to have DeBrincat contribute some depth scoring if they want to advance further in the postseason. When you give a contract extension that big to a former 40 goal scorer, they need to put the puck into the back of the net in the postseason.

Takeaway #3: Is Corey Crawford the guy next season?

It has been very clear that Corey Crawford has not looked the same this postseason. He let up some questionable goals against Edmonton, and even more so since the series against Vegas began. Crawford is 35 years old and will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. With no real goaltender prospects in the pipeline, will the Blackhawks want to resign Crawford?

It’s no question that Crawford has dealt with numerous amounts of injuries over the past couple of seasons, and that he’s getting older. Fresh off of testing positive for Covid-19, this postseason has been a question mark for the two-time Stanley Cup champion.

While three out of Vegas’s four goals were not at the fault of Crow, Tomas Nosek’s goal during the first period was another that Crawford should have had. Take a look at this slow-motion replay:

https://twitter.com/GoldenKnights/status/1294034948509196288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Yikes. I’ll give Crawford some credit where credit is due, and say that he did play an impressive third period, but some of the goals he has let in since the postseason has begun have been back-busters.

The postseason has been a roller-coaster for Corey, as he has been lights out and made some impressive saves as well. But at age 35, the injury issues, and some of the softies he’s let up this postseason warrant the Hawks to resign him for the starting job? Hmmm. It will be something that Stan Bowman will have to think long and hard about in the short amount of time before next season gets underway.

Can the Hawks turn the series around before it is too late? Find out in game three of the series, which is scheduled for tomorrow at 7:00 PM CT.