The Chicago Blackhawks lost 2-0 against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, getting shut out by James Reimer. It’s the second time this season the Blackhawks have been shut out.
The Sharks opened the scoring in the second period as Timo Meier deflected a shot from Rudolfs Balcers into the net.
Timo Meier opens in the scoring in the second period!#SJSharks 1 | #Blackhawks 0 pic.twitter.com/IJ7knEcaKa
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) November 29, 2021
The play started after a missed opportunity in the offensive zone, when Seth Jones failed to collect a pass from Alex DeBrincat during a 2-on-1. Moments later, Jones was unable to cover his man, Balcers, resulting in the goal.
Meier also scored an unassisted empty-net goal late in the third period for the final goal of the game.
Notes
- The Blackhawks’ power play has to improve over the course of the regular season or there is just no hope offensively. The Blackhawks have had scoring problems at 5-on-5 all season and that didn’t change against the Sharks. In four minutes, the Blackhawks mustered just two shots, with none coming on a crucial third-period opportunity. You can’t have that, even against the fourth-ranked penalty kill.
- Seth Jones, in 29 minutes, was on ice for both goals against, had a giveaway and shot the puck three times, creating one rebound. He also allowed three high-danger chances at 5-on-5, minus-2.86 relative to the team. He has played better games and will likely play better games in a Blackhawks sweater, but he’s gotta play better, especially in that many minutes.
- Henrik Borgstrom, on one shot on net, led the team with 0.34 expected goals. Alex DeBrincat had 0.32 on three shots and Brandon Hagel and Dominik Kubalik each had 0.29.
- The closest the Blackhawks felt to a goal was the missed 2-on-1 opportunity between DeBrincat and Jones and a breakaway opportunity by Kubalik that he missed wide on. The Blackhawks had 29 shots and 12 high-danger chances and 2.48 expected goals but it never felt like James Reimer was in danger of letting in a goal throughout the game.
- Two of the most common lines, both the Brandon Hagel, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane group and the Kubalik, Borgstrom and Jujhar Khaira group had expected goal shares above 70 percent. The line of Mike Hardman, Ryan Carpenter and Reese Johnson mustered 0 expected goals in 6:28, generating zero shots.
- Despite the loss, Marc-Andre Fleury had a good game on Sunday, allowing just one goal on 21 shots and facing 1.6 expected goals against. /
Game Charts
Three stars
- James Reimer (SJS) — 29 shots against, 2.48 expected goals against, shutout
- Timo Meier (SJS) — 2 goals, 0.88 expected goals
- Marc-Andre Fleury (CHI) — 21 shots against, 1.6 expected goals against
What’s next
The Blackhawks play the Capitals at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Thursday at 6 p.m.