Blackhawks Postgame Musings: Knight gives his team a chance to win against Panthers

The Chicago Blackhawks struck first against the Florida Panthers, then it looked like they were going to get run out of the building. However, they responded well after the first intermission and went toe-to-toe with the best team in hockey over the final 40 minutes. In the end, the Panthers found a way to take home a 3-2 victory.

The second line led the offensive charge as they combined for both goals. Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen had a goal and an assist, while Tyler Bertuzzi picked up a pair of helpers. There were plenty of teachable moments throughout the night, and they will go over them all before taking on the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

Head coach Jeff Blashill was not pleased with the team’s execution and puck management, especially in the first and third periods. The Blackhawks were originally going to have tomorrow off, but now they will practice at the TD Garden.

Spencer Knight Shines Against Former Team

Although Spencer Knight was very appreciative of his time with the Panthers before the game, he had a chip on his shoulder once the puck dropped. Every player who has ever been traded wants to make his former team regret the deal, especially the first time he plays them. Knight was the best player on the ice for both teams and gave the Blackhawks a chance to win the game.

Knight was very agile in the crease, moving side-to-side, as well as knowing when to stand tall and when to drop into the butterfly. Both goals he allowed in the first period were products of broken defensive coverage in front of him. The Blackhawks don’t tie the game early in the second period without his 15 saves in the opening frame.

Knight finished his evening with 34 saves, with many of them of a challenging nature. He made so many good saves that Panthers fans might stop shouting “NIGHT” during the national anthem. The Blackhawks allowed 14 high-danger chances, which is far too many against a team like the Panthers.

Young Defensemen Stumble Out of the Gate

With so many young players on this team, especially on the backend, there will be shifts, periods, and games with frustrating plays. As the season wears on, hopefully, those will come less frequently. The hopes are high for Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov, but Tuesday was a long game for the young duo.

Levshunov had difficulty with the puck early, with a bad turnover in his own zone and then a failed keep at the blue line with the top line in the offensive zone. He took two penalties in the opening frame, neither of which was egregious, but the Panthers scored their second goal with him in the box.

Rinzel has looked great throughout rookie and training camps, but he’s never faced a team like the Panthers in his young career. He struggled with puck management and got caught in no man’s land on Florida’s second goal.

In 14:39 of 5-on-5 ice time, Levshunov recovered for a 56.0 Corsi for percentage (CF%). The Panthers had a 6-5 advantage in scoring chances with him on the ice, but the Blackhawks outscored them 1-0. The numbers aren’t as good for Rinzel in 18:21. He had a 41.0 CF%, and the Panthers led in shots on goal (14-5), scoring chances (15-4), and high-danger scoring chances (5-2).

Let’s remember that these are two very green defensemen playing against a championship team that plays a relentless style of hockey. Making declarations about them, or anyone on this team, after this particular game only makes you look foolish.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• While the second line provided all the offense, it was a tough night for them overall. A better third period gave them a 41.6 CF%, but the possession numbers were lopsided for much of the night. Even with the two goals, they allowed 10 scoring chances, half of which were considered high danger. But when they did get clean breakouts of the zone, they produced plays like this.

• We spent all summer hearing about Connor Bedard’s offseason training, and we’ve already seen some noticeable improvements. He is definitely quicker on the ice and has been more aggressive with the puck. He had six shot attempts on the night and nearly had a first-period goal, but the left post denied him. He’s doing more of the little things without the puck that all the greats do. He made a nice play to defend a Panthers’ shorthanded 2-on-1 rush in the third period. Bedard also had this play against former teammate Seth Jones.

• One area where Bedard did not improve was at the faceoff dot. He won only three of 17 draws. That must get better. However, he wasn’t the only one in a white sweater who got owned at the dot. The Blackhawks won only 37% of the faceoffs (26-for-70). Jason Dickinson had the best night, winning 10 of 19 faceoffs.

• Blashill preached patience and chemistry through training camp, so I was surprised to see him mix up his lines after only 40 minutes. He took Ryan Donato off the first line and swapped him with Ilya Mikheyev. However, that move didn’t yield much, as Bedard and Andre Burakovsky had only one shot attempt while allowing seven in their time together. Hopefully, this was a move to take advantage of a matchup in the game, and is not a sign of things to come.