"That's how we got to play moving forward"- Blackhawks focus on response despite overtime loss to Bruins

The Chicago Blackhawks lost a Halloween matinee to the Boston Bruins on Oct. 31, and now sit at 4-9-1 on the season.

With a 5-4 overtime loss, it's something you may look at from the outside and think it was lackluster, especially after their disheartening 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 29.

But when a team is in a bad funk where things are not going their way, the big thing you look for is a response.

Despite the loss, that is what ended up being the biggest takeaway.

Blackhawks looking to build on their compete

Going into the Bruins game, the last time the Blackhawks scored four goals in a game was against the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 15. They were averaging no more than two goals a game and averaging 21 shots on goal.

Their special teams, which also had been struggling, came together against the Bruins.

The Blackhawks had an excellent first period where they were really controlling the pace of play. They were getting shots on net, and they had a lot of good quality chances, too. They were able to keep that pace of play for most of the game.

Against the fourth-best team in the NHL in the Bruins, that was commendable, and considering how the last Blackhawks' game went, you couldn't ask for a better response. They came to play.

They ended the game with 41 shots on goal, and they outshot the Bruins by half in both the first and second periods. What made the shots on goal stand out is that the most shots on goal they had in a game previously came against the Jets when they had 28. That is a big jump for them.

Because the Blackhawks are struggling on offense, the more pucks they can get on net, the better, and they did that. They also scored four goals, with Anton Frondell having his first two-goal game. They took an early 1-0 lead off a power-play goal from Frondell, and the penalty kill went 3-for-3.

When teams put up 41 shots on goal, play with that kind of effort, and score four goals with nine players recording points, nine out of 10 times, they win the game. It seems like that is something the Blackhawks are keeping in mind, even with the end result.

Andrew Mangiapane said postgame, "I think that was one of our full kind of complete games, right? It is tough to lose that. Felt like we had good compete right from the start of the puck drop. Yeah, just a couple little mistakes, and that's the game, though, and it ends up in the back of your net, right? So we got to clean up a few of those things. But I felt like our compete level- that's the standard we need to play at, and yeah, that's how we got to play moving forward, and I think we'll win a lot of games."

The tough part was that the Blackhawks were winning 4-2 with six minutes left, and lost the game in overtime. Holding onto leads has been a struggle for them, and they have to learn how to close out games.

But all they can do is move forward, and if they can put that kind of performance together again against the Colorado Avalanche at home on Nov. 2, and beyond, that can be a game-changer for them.

Connor Bedard, who had a two-point game, said about the effort postgame, "I thought that was probably our best game of the year. Just the way we were battling, not shying away from anything. You know, taking hits, getting in the fight, maybe more than against Detroit. So [it] sucks, you know, obviously, the result and how it ends. We got to find a way to win, but for most of the game, played pretty well."

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow