2 weeks Ago By Jim Lynch, Chicago Hockey Now
The Chicago Blackhawks lost 4 to 2 on Saturday night to the Dallas Stars, with goals from Ryan Donato and Connor Bedard. Petr Mrazek was the Hawks best player tonight, keeping the game close to the very end when it really could have been a bigger blow out then it was. Here are four thoughts from the Blackhawks 4-2 loss to Dallas.
1. Lukas Reichel rises to the Blackhawks top line. Luke Richardson made a big decision in Dallas tonight.
Richardson played Lukas Reichel on a line with Connor Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen, choosing to shake up the top line. Reichel finished the night with over 12 minutes of ice time, registering a shot on goal in the loss. I think the Hawks need to give this line some more time to gel before making any decisions.
Reichel should get more time with Bedard and Teravainen throughout the road trip – which will also give captain Nick Foligno time to shine in a bottom six role. 2. Power play struggles need to be addressed.
The Blackhawks power play was 0 for 3 tonight. It just looks like the top unit is not shooting the puck enough. Everyone seems more willing to pass then to shoot keeping things around the point cycling across the ice.
The Hawks need to address these power play struggles. This has been an issue throughout the four game losing streak. Considering where the Hawks sat in the standings last season, making an improvement this year has to involve the power play.
A power play goal or two can make the difference in a close game, and Chicago needs to find a way to make theirs more successful. 3. Craig Smith.
.. the Blackhawks offensive machine? While Ryan Donato ended up getting credit for the Blackhawks first goal of the night, Craig Smith registered an assist on the play.
With the point, Smith now has three goals and an assist in the Hawks last four games. Smith has provided some great depth scoring for the Hawks, something they desperately need more of. While it has been a limited amount of games thus far, Smith looks like a great add for the Hawks.
He very well could be a nice player available at the deadline for teams looking to add for a Stanley Cup run. 4. Looking at the Blackhawks losing streaks last season.
Last year, the Blackhawks had seven losing streaks of four or more games – the longest streak came from Jan. 22, 2024 to Feb. 15, 2024.
This season the Hawks didn’t escape October before reaching a four game losing streak. How the team responds throughout the rest of the road trip will be critical to the season’s outlook. Chicago has a tough task ahead.
Monday the team plays in Colorado, followed by San Jose on Thursday, Los Angeles on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday. The Hawks have plenty of down time this week to address getting out of this slump, a matchup with the Avalanche will be the first opportunity to see how they respond. This article first appeared on Chicago Hockey Now and was syndicated with permission.
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