The stage was set for the Blackhawks to possibly muster out another victory on the second game of a home back-to-back on Sunday night at the United Center. The Hawks had just got Taylor Hall — who contributed a goal in Saturday’s win over the Panthers — back from injury, Devils star Jack Hughes was out and Native American Herritage night took place at the United Center, where the Hawks faithful indulged in pre-game festivities hosted by the local Native American community.
But that momentum heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Devils was not quite enough. Despite putting up a good fight, the Blackhawks lost a tightly contested game 4-2.
The Blackhawks opened up the scoring when Tyler Johnson’s wrist shot from the top of the left-wing circle rebounded right to Taylor Hall, who scored his second goal in as many games just 1:51 into the first period.
New Jersey responded with a power-play goal by Dawson Mercer, tying the game 1-1 at 13:07 of the first.
Just over a minute later, Max Willman picked off a Kevin Korchinski turnover at the Devils’ blue line, and scored a breakaway goal, giving the Devils a 2-1 lead.
Before the first ended, Tyler Johnson made what looked to be an incredible play, going backhand to forehand, only to be stopped by a ridiculous save from Vitek Vanecek.
Although there were no goals scored by either team in the middle frame, the Devils did not take long to change that trend a few minutes into the third, thanks to a goal from Curtis Lazar that gave New Jersey a 3-1 lead.
With just under five minutes to play in the game, Ryan Donato found the back of the net for Chicago, putting the Hawks within one.
Then, with just 2 minutes remaining, Tyler Toffoli seemingly gave the Devils a 4-2 lead. An invigorated United Center cheered when it was revealed that a coaches challenge used by Luke Ricardson proved successful, and Toffoli’s goal was deemed offsides.
The Hawks throttled through one final surge, but ultimately were unsuccessful. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Michael McLeod’s empty net goal sealed a 4-2 victory for the Devils.
Notes
- The Blackhawks offense still leaves a lot to be desired. And while they actually didn’t play a bad defensive game, don’t forget that New Jersey was short quite a few players due to injury, including — but not limited to — Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.
- Getting Taylor Hall back in the lineup clearly helps (see Saturday and Sunday’s score sheet) but his line cannot carry the scoring duties alone. It’s going to be important to find some continuity in that department, especially on the power play.
- As much as I like No. 55, he needs to be more attentive when playing quarterback. Yikes.
- It was nice to see Richardson show some urgency with the late challenge. Good on the video coaches to be on top of that offsides. Although the Hawks ended up losing, they hung in there and fought until the final horn.
- Although it sucks skating off the ice with no points, the last few games have been a nice response to the shredding the Coyotes gave the Hawks on Monday.
- With such a road heavy schedule early on, the Hawks will start playing at home more and more. As team chemistry continues to improve, this would be a good time to get some cohesive lines together and for the coach to start playing some match-up chess.
- While New Jersey netminder Vitek Vanecek had a great night, Arvid Söderblom nearly matched Vanecek’s performance. It was a good outing for both goalies. The small mistakes in between are what ultimately made the difference on the score sheet.
Game Charts
Three Stars
- Vitek Vanecek (NJD) — 32 saves on 34 shots, .941 save percentage
- Arvid Soderblom (CHI) — 36 saves on 39 shots, .923 save percetage
- Curtis Lazar (NJD) — game winning goal, 5 shots on net
What’s Next
The Blackhawks will head South to take on the Lightning in Tampa Bay on Thursday evening. Puck drop is at 6 p.m.