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Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs: 3 stars of the night

It’s hard to say much about losing a game by one goal when it happened this way. Despite outshooting the Maple Leafs in the third period, 26-7, the Blackhawks gave up the deciding score with 17 minutes to go in regulation and couldn’t tie the game despite countless chances on James Reimer.

The ‘Hawks just keep running into hot goaltenders, something that surely won’t last.

Meanwhile, the first two periods saw a number of mistakes that have become commonplace for Chicago this season, especially on the defensive end. Corey Crawford wasn’t bad Saturday, saving 24 of 27 shots he faced, but this team has been so good in recent years partially as a result of not beating itself. Before the dominant third period, there were some not-so-great plays.

There was a lot to like in those final 20 minutes, however, and I really don’t know when these shot advantages will start translating to wins, but it’ll happen. So they just gotta keep doing what they’re doing, for the most part, and the results should come.

Here are your three stars for the night:

3. Patrick Kane

He recorded his fifth assist of the season with a perfect pass to set up Brent Seabrook’s goal, and forced a number of scoring chances in the third period that nearly tied the game. If Reimer wasn’t so ridiculous in the final 20 minutes, Kane probably has at least a couple points Saturday. You’d like to see more than two shots on goal, to be honest — he has just eight in his past four games — but it’s not like he’s had a steady guy supporting him up the middle.

2. Brad Richards

Speaking of a steady performer up the middle, Richards finally scored his first goal in a Blackhawks uniform to tie the game, 1-1, in the first period. His shot on the power play was a beauty, beating Reimer from the left side on a narrow angle. We’ve seen signs of life from the veteran recently, and on Saturday, he finally got one in the net. It’s unfortunate that he couldn’t keep pressing and get any more from there, but it seems like Richards is finally getting his legs underneath him. That’s a good sign given the issues Andrew Shaw has had at center this season.

1. Brent Seabrook

The defenseman scored his second goal of the season, added an assist on Richards’ score and was an active piece on both ends. His boarding penalty on Stephane Robidas in the third period was questionable and probably shouldn’t be held against him too much. The defense made some rough turnovers Saturday, especially Johnny Oduya, but Seabrook was pretty steady and uncorked one of the two shots Reimer couldn’t stop. There’s a reason Quenneville used him more than any other player.

Talking Points