Too many missed shots doom Blackhawks in Edmonton

The Chicago Blackhawks spent another night playing a lot of defense, but they kept things close despite some poor puck management. The Edmonton Oilers scored against both Blackhawks goaltenders and added an empty-net goal in a 3-1 win. They improved to 6-2-0 since losing superstar Leon Draisaitl to injury. The Oilers now sit in first place of the Pacific Division, as they have more regulation wins than the Anaheim Ducks. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are officially eliminated from playoff contention.

After a scoreless first period, the Oilers scored two goals in the middle frame. It looked like they had scored a third goal, but a successful coach’s challenge revealed that Connor McDavid was offside. Nick Lardis got the Blackhawks to within a goal early in the third period, but that was as close as they would get.

“We had some really good looks,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “Guys all alone, eyeball to eyeball with the goalie, and we don’t score. I wouldn’t say we didn’t have opportunities; I would say we need to shoot more. They had a bigger volume of chances, and some of that comes from getting the puck around the net more than we did. I don’t think it was our best night, from an execution standpoint."

Newest Defensive Pairing Continues to Impress

With Artyom Levshunov and Matt Grzelcyk out for the rest of the season, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro get to finish out the year in the NHL. These two young defenders are expected to battle for a roster spot and playing time in training camp; they can get a jump-start on making an impression on the coaching staff. Blashill has them paired together, and they held their own in their first two games with each other.

“They’ve played pretty well the last couple of games,” Blashill said. “They’ve played solid. It’s obviously a tiny bit sheltered, but that’s ok. We’re trying to put them in a position to be successful. It’s not easy to play your offside, and Delly does that pretty well.

Korch has done a good job of using his feet to defend and keeping his play fairly simple with the puck, skating to escape pressure, then moving it to the open guy. That’s what he needs to do to be successful. If he can use his feet to defend like that and use his feet to get himself in position to pass pucks to open people, that’s the best way to play.”

Korchinski had another solid game. He has been far more confident with the puck than we’ve ever seen. He had multiple clean breakouts throughout the game, making quick, correct decisions with the puck. He did a good job of playing physically by using his body to seal off the play along the boards. He was not the ice for any of Edmonton’s goals.

With the Korchinski/Del Mastro pair on the ice, the Blackhawks were outshot 5-2 and allowed three high-danger chances.

Boisvert Draws Back In

Sacha Boisvert was back in the lineup tonight after being a healthy scratch for Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Blashill believed that taking a step back and watching after his first three games, so sitting out was not a punishment.

“Sacha got better in the three games he played,” Blashill said. “I thought he got more comfortable as was to be expected. Brought some physicality, but also he’s got good play with the puck. He probably hasn’t had the opportunity to get his shot off. You can tell he has a really good shot, too. He got in a fight, which shows his toughness. I think he’s done a good job. “

Boisvert didn’t get much of a chance to make an impact tonight. He played just 7:10, the lowest time on ice on the team. He had three shot attempts in his limited time, to go along with a hit. He went 2-for-5 at the faceoff dot.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• Lardis now has four goals in the seven games since he was moved up into the top six. Unfortunately, he left the game with an injury late in the third period. He was hit by a Teuvo Teravainen shot in either the left hand or wrist and did not return. Blashill did not have an update on his status after the game.

• Tonight featured the Oilers’ NHL-leading power play versus the Blackhawks’ league-best penalty kill. Edmonton had come in with no goals in their last 11 chances on the man advantage. After getting five shots but no goals on their first chance, they cashed in on their second opportunity as Matthew Savoie’s pass banked off Alex Vlasic’s stick. In their 5:13 of power-play time, they produced eight scoring chances, five of which were high-danger, but only one goal.

• Spencer Knight was the best penalty killer on that first chance. He was excellent to start the game, and the Blackhawks were fortunate to be scoreless after 20 minutes. He allowed only one goal on 32 shots, while stopping all seven of the high-danger shots he faced. In a strange sequence early in the second period, Knight had to leave the game for about five minutes to get the strap on his left pad repaired. Adam Henrique scored the game’s first goal on Arvid Soderblom, who made four saves in his brief relief appearance.

• The Blackhawks had 58 shot attempts, which is a good number for them this season. The problem was that they only got 18 on net. They had 20 shots blocked, and another 20 missed the net completely. It felt like every time they had a prime scoring chance, they fired the puck wide. When you have a goaltender who has struggled as much as Tristan Jarry has this season, there is no reason to try to pick a corner or change your angle. Just get the puck on net and drive for a rebound.

• Blashill mixed up his lines quite a bit tonight. Teravainen moved from the fourth line up to the top line with Connor Bedard and Lardis. He had the secondary assist on the lone goal. Andre Burakovsky was demoted to the fourth line and only played 8:28 after his turnover led to Henrique’s breakaway goal. It will be interesting to see how the lineup looks on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken, especially if Lardis doesn’t play.

• Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy recorded the assists on Vasily Podkolzin’s empty-net goal that iced the game. Dickinson went 3-for-12 at the faceoff dot tonight. Bedard owned his former teammate, winning eight of the 11 faceoffs against him. He went 10-for-16 overall.

• In a fun stat CHSN showed during the broadcast, McDavid has not scored a goal against the Blackhawks with Bedard in the lineup. He has a bunch of assists, but still hasn’t found the back of the net when No. 98 is on the ice.