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Too Far Down: Wild 4, Blackhawks 1

Posted on by Mil Savich

The Chicago Blackhawks took the ice in St. Paul on Thursday evening, hoping to snap a 2-game preseason losing streak in a matchup with the Minnesota Wild. While the Hawks were able to snap their 2-game goal drought, they were unable to come away with much else, losing 4-1.

The Wild jumped out to a 1-0 lead midway through the first period when Marco Rossi took advantage of a misplay behind the Blackhawks net.

Minnesota quickly doubled their lead just 13 seconds later, going up 2-0 thanks to a goal from Frederick Gaudreau. They held this lead for the reminder of the period.

Following a seven-period scoring drought going back to their Oct. 1 game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks finally found the back of the net on a goal by Jack Johnson.

Late in the second period, Mats Zuccarello’s goal put the Wild back up by two, giving them a 3-1 lead heading into the second intermission.

In the third and final frame, Sam Steel added to the Wild lead after a breakdown by an unorganized Blackhawks defense, making the Minnesota lead 4-1 with only 13:44 remaining in the game.

The Blackhawks’ 4-1 loss on Thursday night is their third straight loss of the preseason.

Notes

  • The Blackhawks offense is getting hard to watch. It’s only preseason, but if they carry this play into the regular season, it’s going to be a long year. Their goal differential could be scary.
  • What makes things even worse is that the Hawks went 0-for-6 on the power play. Yes, you read that correctly. The Blackhawks had six opportunities with a two-minute, one-man advantage and came away with absolutely nothing. That’s abysmal special teams hockey, folks.
  • The defensive breakdowns were the kind of thing you see from a young team in preseason. However, the ways in which the Hawks turned the puck over, blew coverage and generally looks dysfunctional are a bit concerning, particularly when it comes from the veterans.
  • The Blackhawks ended up outshooting the Wild 26-23. But, with six freaking power plays, you should obliterate the shot count.
  • There are a lot of guys on this team with the last name of Johnson. /

Game Charts

What’s next?

The Blackhawks play their final game of the 2022-23 preseason when they take on the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night at the Enterprise Center. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

Talking Points