Blackhawks unlucky in shootout loss to Vegas

The Chicago Blackhawks started their four-game road trip out west with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Getting a point is good, but this loss is extra frustrating because they had a lead with under four minutes to play, then lost in a shootout to a goaltender who hadn’t seen an NHL shot in almost two years.

Big picture, this was a good game. The Blackhawks were the faster and better team for much of the night. They scored on their first shot of the game by Oliver Moore. Tyler Bertuzzi took advantage of a Carter Hart miscue, and Connor Bedard scored another highlight-reel goal. Two of the three Vegas goals came off the skates of Blackhawks’ defensemen. To Hart’s credit, he made some big saves in overtime and held on in the shootout.

"You’re disappointed you didn’t get two points, but I thought we did a lot of good stuff,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “On the road against a team that’s probably considered one of the Stanley Cup favorites. We out-chanced them and certainly were in position to win the hockey game. We’ve got some young, young guys out there in critical moments. That’s good. That’s what this is about: continuing to grow."

Frank Nazar’s Up & Down Night

Frank Nazar has clearly been playing hurt since returning from an injury suffered against the Calgary Flames early in November. He just hasn’t been as dynamic as he was before that game. However, tonight he looked like a player about to bust out.

He was back on a line with Moore, someone Blashill thinks he can do a lot of damage with. Bertuzzi adds the hockey smarts to the combination.

“We hope, long-term, that the speed of Moore and Nazar over the course of the season can be really effective.” He said. “They both play really fast. Bert is a really good, accountable, and smart player who can put pucks in the area for those guys. We’ve used it a little bit. It hasn’t come to fruition yet – the way we’d like it to, but we’re hoping to get there.”

Nazar started his night with the secondary assist on Moore’s early goal. He was all over the ice during the first period. The Golden Knights are a big and heavy team, and the Blackhawks used their speed to their advantage. Nazar used that speed to draw a slashing penalty in the third period. He had a scoring chance from the slot late in regulation but was denied by Hart.

While much of his night was good, there were some questionable plays. The Golden Knights challenged Bertuzzi’s goal for offside and lost. However, Nazar took a hooking penalty behind his own net to negate much of the ensuing power play. His shootout attempt left much to be desired as he took away his best weapon by slowing down before even entering the zone.

Nazar finished his night with three shots on goal with seven attempts. He created four individual scoring chances, two of which were considered high danger. Good or bad, he looked like the player we saw earlier this season.

Spencer Knight Deserved Better

Spencer Knight had a rough start to his evening, allowing the first Golden Knight shot in behind him. However, it was hardly his fault as Ivan Barbashev’s shot hit off Wyatt Kaiser. Ben Hutton’s goal hit Matt Grzelcyk’s skate. Braeden Bowman’s goal was the third shot in a sequence that began with a great save. Unfortunately, Alex Vlasic and Louis Creiver’s long reaches were nowhere to be found to clear out the rebound.

Kniight made plenty of big saves throughout regulation and overtime. However, his puckhandling got him into trouble more than once. The Howden goal was a product of Knight’s turnover from trying to pass the puck up the boards. He made another dangerous pass up the boards late in regulation that led to a high-danger scoring chance. He is very good at playing the puck, but he doesn’t have to play every single one of them.

 Nuggets & Tidbits

• Bedard scored another ridiculous goal to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead in the third period. While everyone is going crazy with the shot, it never happens without a great defensive play. Not seen in the highlight is Grezlcyk tying up Mark Stone’s stick, preventing him from getting a shot into an open change. Blashill preaches that defense leads to offense, and it certainly did on this play. Ryan Green made a great first pass to extend his point streak to three games.

• Bedard’s shootout goal was a sick display of his silky mitts.

• Kaiser was another player with ups and downs throughout the game. After the first goal deflected off him, he made two great shot blocks in the second period, including one with his hand. He used his stick to stop a Mitch Marner scoring chance late in the game, but the only reason he had to make that play was because of a brutal turnover behind the net.

• The power play was key to Sunday’s win over the Anaheim Ducks, as they scored two goals on four chances. It was a factor in tonight's loss as they went 0-of-5. They produced just five shots on only eight shot attempts. Only one of their three scoring chances was deemed high danger. That’s just not good enough.

• Jason Dickinson left in the third period after getting hit under the visor by Artyom Levshunov’s stick. Thankfully, he returned to the ice before the end of the game, not that the broadcast told you that.

• Tonight was another awful broadcast by ESPN. It doesn’t matter who they put in the booth; they do no research, misidentify players, mispronounce names, and spend the whole night trying to advance their narratives. They will broadcast Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Can’t wait!