Late Blackhawks comeback falls short in overtime, as Stars avoid season sweep

The Chicago Blackhawks tried to sweep their three-game season series against the Dallas Stars, but came up short in a 4-3 overtime loss. They ended up taking five out of a possible six points against the Stanley Cup contenders, but tonight’s loss won’t sit well inside the Blackhawks’ locker room. Meanwhile, the Stars extended their point streak to 12 games, going 11-0-1 over their last dozen games.

The Blackhawks got off to a 2-0 lead in this one, getting goals from Tyler Bertuzzi and Sam Rinzel. After giving up three straight goals to the Stars, Connor Bedard tied the game in the final minute with some help from Tyler Myers’ leg. However, Dallas needed just 22 seconds of overtime to secure the extra point and avoid the season sweep.

Getting one point was probably more than the Blackhawks deserved. While they didn’t play poorly per se, they just didn’t have enough time with the puck. They generated only 12 shots at 5-on-5, including only six over the final 40 minutes and just two in the third period. The scoring chance differential wasn’t awful with Dallas owning a 26-19 advantage, and an 8-5 lead in high-danger scoring chances. Still, you’re not going to win many games with so few chances.

“We didn’t generate enough shots,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “At times, the ice tilted in their way on us, so we ended up defending a little bit more than we wanted to. I also thought we passed up on some shots. We’ve got to make sure we have a good shooting mentality.”

Mangiapane Does His Thing

When the Blackhawks had their best stretch of the season after the Christmas break, including two wins over the Stars, they played simple north/south hockey. The recently acquired Andrew Mangiapane fits that mold perfectly. He showed his knack for playing this style during his debut against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.

“I think we’re getting a very motivated player,” general manager Kyle Davidson said of Mangiapane. “he can bring some tenacity, and he’s been around this league a bit, so a bit of veteran experience. We certainly sent a lot out recently, so I think he can provide that. I think there’s a lot to prove for him coming in, and we’re excited to give him the opportunity to show what he’s got. I know it didn’t go as he had planned this year in Edmonton, so I think a fresh start for him will be really healthy, and we’re excited to give it to him.”

Mangiapane was bumped up to the third line and continued his brand of effective hockey. I’ve been most impressed by his willingness to go to the front of the net and take a hit to make a play. He loves getting under the skin of opponents and was in the ear of the Stars’ captain, Jamie Benn, all game long.

The veteran forward’s possession stats don’t look great, but that could be said across the board, as most of the night was spent playing defense. He finished his second game with the Blackhawks with a shot on goal, two individual scoring chances, a hit, and three blocked shots.

Levshunov Continues His Progress

Artyom Levshunov’s response to his three-game benching ahead of the Olympic break has been overwhelmingly positive. He’s put together six solid games since returning to the lineup and is playing with more confidence than we’ve seen in a long time.

The rookie defenseman had a terrific opening period. He made the smart play by getting the puck towards the net, where Tyler Bertuzzi redirected it for the game’s opening goal.

Later in the period, he made two solid defensive plays. Moments after the Blackhawks’ second goal, Levshunov made a diving shot block to prevent Wyatt Johnston’s scoring chance.

A few minutes later, while on the penalty kill, he did a good job of tying up Justin Hryckowian just enough to prevent a goal on a backdoor play. However, there were some struggles. In the second period, he got caught flatfooted, leading to a 2-on-1, but Arvid Soderblom came up with a huge save. On Levshunov’s next shift, he coughed up the puck and the side of the net, forcing his goaltender to come up with two more tough saves.

Levshunov played exactly 18 minutes tonight, including 2:31 of shorthanded time. At 5-on-5, he and Matt Grzelcyk had a 40.74 Corsi for percentage (CF%), the second highest among the three pairings. They were outshot 10-4, but only allowed three high-danger scoring chances, and the Blackhawks outscored the Stars 1-0 with them on the ice.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• Oliver Moore was injured on Rinzel’s first-period goal. He went hard into the end boards with Colin Blackwell and immediately grabbed his right knee. He needed help to the locker room and did not return to the game. Blashill did not have much of an update, other than he won’t play against the Utah Mammoth tomorrow night.

• I really liked what I saw out of Frank Nazar tonight. Yesterday, Blashill said that he’d gained confidence after scoring on Friday night. He was very noticeable tonight, being more physical and willing to get to the net than we’ve seen recently. He had two assists, a shot on goal, three shot attempts, two takeaways, and three blocked shots.

• While Nazar was noticeable, Nick Lardis was not in his return to the NHL lineup. The only two moments that really stuck out were his tripping penalty in the first period and fumbling the puck on a 3-on-1 rush in the middle frame. He had no shot attempts in his 10:08 of ice time. Not sure what playing the fewest minutes on the fourth line is going to do for him, but with Moore out, a bigger role has just opened up for him.

• Tonight featured the Blackhawks’ top-rated penalty kill against the NHL’s second-best power play. The Blackhawks were nine seconds away from going a perfect 4-for-4 on the PK. Instead, the Stars scored a power-play goal for the ninth straight game.

• When the puck dropped on the game, both blue lines had some serious size. The Blackhawks started with Alex Vlasic (6’6) and Louis Crevier (6’8), while the Stars countered with Myers (6’8) and Lian Bischel (6’7). That’s nearly 26 and a half feet of defensemen! Not sure if that sets an NHL record, but it’s got to be close.

• The Blackhawks added a 19 sticker to their helmets to honor Troy Murray for the rest of the season. They already have a 1 sticker for goaltending legend Glenn Hall.

• Lastly, we have to give the Stars a stick tap for leaving flowers in the Blackhawks’ radio booth in Murray’s memory. Everybody loved Muzz.