Disjointed Blackhawks fall apart in third period against Panthers

The Chicago Blackhawks continued their stretch of games against elite teams. Yes, the Florida Panthers are on the outside looking in for a postseason spot, but they showed why they are the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. They had every reason to phone this one in after an overtime win in Minnesota last night, but they played a no-frills, simple game, allowing their depth to take over and beat the Blackhawks 5-1.

With the Panthers in town after back-to-back games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning, you could argue that the Blackhawks have played the three best-coached teams in hockey in a row. This is a good teaching moment for the young core. They just played three teams that stick to their systems and play within themselves on every shift, in every game. That is what head coach Jeff Blashill strives to get his team to do.

“We’ve just got to find a way to get that job done,” said Nick Foligno. “Tonight was one of those ones where you feel you beat yourself. The goals we gave up were breakdowns in the way we normally know how to play. That really hasn’t been the case here in a while. It’s disappointing. That’s the reality of trying to win this time of year; you have to grind it out. You have to be a little more detailed than the other team. You have to be willing to do the hard things. We just weren’t able to do that tonight.”

Top of the Moore-ning To You

Blashill surprised us with some new line combinations at today’s morning skate. Most notably, Oliver Moore was on the top line with Connor Bedard and Andre Burakovsky. The rookie forward had been playing so well centering the second line, but Blashill wanted to try something different against the Panthers. His logic for the move was that Bedard needs someone on his line who can take faceoffs, and Moore has the speed to “go win pucks.”

With Moore being promoted, that left Nick Lardis without his running mate on the second line. The two-first year pros have built such good chemistry this season, starting on the Rockford IceHogs’ top line, that it was surprising to see them get split up. He was put on a line with Ryan Greene and Frank Nazar, meaning five of the Blackhawks’ top six were 22 years old or younger.

However, as Blashill said this morning, he wouldn’t be afraid to flip the lines around if things didn’t click early. In an uncharacteristic night, he had his top six in a blender for much of the night as he tried to find a line that could provide sustained offensive zone time.

The Moore/Bedard combination only got 1:58 of 5-on-5 ice time in the first period. That new “top line” produced just one shot attempt in their 5:46 of ice time. Bedard seemed to have new linemates every time he stepped on the ice, as the top six were in constant rotation.

Blashill admitted that the line changes might have something to do with Bedard’s struggle since returning from his shoulder injury.

“Since he’s been back, there have been moments when he’s going good and moments when he hasn’t,” he said. "When you’re out a long time, it’s hard to get your mojo back. We’ve got to play with the lines. Maybe that has hurt him, not having consistency there. Sometimes you’re trying to help spark guys, and you end up hurting them by making too many changes. But again, you can’t fault the work ethic, can’t fault the care. It just hasn’t gone the way that it had prior to him getting hurt.”

Power-Less Play

The Blackhawks went 0-for-2 on the power play against the Panthers, and are now 0-for-17 over the last seven games. This comes after they scored nine power-play goals over a stretch of seven games. Both units were clicking during that hot streak, and now both are as cold as the January wind.

In six minutes of power-play time, the Blackhawks produced five shot attempts, three shots on goal, and only two high-danger scoring chances. If they don’t win the initial faceoff, they spend the next minute or so just trying to get the puck into the zone and setting up the attack. Much like at 5-on-5, there is zero confidence with the puck on the man advantage. Everyone is trying too hard to make the perfect play instead of taking what’s given to them.

“We’re probably going to have to tweak it with some [new] players, stuff like that,” Blashill said. “Ultimately, we have to break the puck in better, and we have to win more loose-puck recoveries.”

Nuggets & Tidbits

• The only line that doesn’t need any adjustments is the third line of Tyler Bertuzzi, Jason Dickinson, and Ilya Mikheyev. They scored the lone goal of the night, thanks in large part to Wyatt Kaiser’s savvy play at the blue line. They finished the night with an 18-5 shot attempt advantage, outshot the Panthers 10-1, and produced seven of the Blackhawks 20 scoring chances at 5-on-5.

• We’ve heard all season from Blashill that top-six and power-play minutes have to be earned. So, why is Burakovsky getting both of them? Blashill repeatedly stresses the importance of creating scoring chances and being dangerous, two things Burakovsky hasn’t done in quite a few games. While Artyom Levshunov is credited with a giveaway on the Panthers’ game-winning goal, Burakovsky needed to make a better effort on the play. The rookie defenseman put the puck towards an area where a veteran forward could help him. Instead, Burakovsky didn’t even put his stick on the ice until after the puck was past him. Teuvo Teravainen’s return could be the perfect reason to drop Burakovsky down in the lineup until he gets back to the level of play we saw early in the season.

• Sunday was Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the United Center, which is always an emotional evening. The Blackhawks honored Troy Murray during the first television timeout. We haven’t seen Troy at the rink since very early in training camp as he continues his battle with cancer. I always admired Troy as a player growing up, but getting to know him since joining the beat has been one best things to happen to me during my career. He is as genuine a person as one can get, and is a great soul. I miss my friend Troy and think about him every day. Keep fighting, Muzz, we have your back.