10 observations: Hawks fall to Panthers, drop 7th straight at home originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks fell to the Florida Panthers 5-2 at the United Center on Sunday.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. The Blackhawks outplayed the Panthers in the first period, where they led in shot attempts (20-8), shots on goal (11-3) and scoring chances (10-7), per Natural Stat Trick. The three shots on goal was the fewest in any period by the Panthers this season, which isn't anything to sneeze at considering they're the NHL's top offensive team. That's exactly the start the Blackhawks wanted and needed, but it was a 1-1 score going into the intermission so they didn't have much to show for it.
2. The Panthers were credited with 42 shot attempts and six high-danger chances, both of which were their second-fewest in a game this season. Their 25 shots on goal was also their third-fewest this season. The Blackhawks should hang their hat on that. The Panthers, however, flexed their muscles as the game went on and regained control of the in the second and third periods, but the Blackhawks were right there.
3. This was a chippy game, and it escalated in the second period when Calvin de Haan laid a big hit on Mason Marchment. Sam Reinhart immediately came to the defense of his teammate and jumped de Haan, who was penalized for interference. The Blackhawks were livid on the bench because Reinhart didn't get an instigator penalty — and Marchment also got away with a two-hand whack on de Haan, although it didn't look like he made complete contact with him. He's lucky he didn't.
4. The Blackhawks didn't generate a single high-danger chance during 5-on-5 action until the midway mark of the second period. They finished with four total. Florida did a great job protecting the house, but one team capitalized on their chances and the other didn't.
5. The goals haven't come as frequently as we're used to seeing out of Patrick Kane this season. Typically when they're not going in for you, you're told to just throw pucks on net and hope to get a bounce. That's what happened in the first period. He scored from behind the red line after banking a shot of Sergei Bobrovsky for his 13th of the season. Impossible angle. Kane later added an assist and surpassed Denis Savard for second-most assists in franchise history (720).
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6. The Panthers' one — and only — weak spot is their penalty kill, which ranks 19th at 78.7 percent. The Blackhawks had four power-play opportunities but couldn't cash in until the fourth one when they were already down 3-1 in the final frame. If they had scored on just one of the first three, that would've changed the complexion of the contest. It's especially frustrating because the Panthers had only 20 seconds of power-play time. It was a winnable game for the Blackhawks.
7. The Blackhawks didn't hold a lead at any point for the third consecutive game. That's 185 minutes and counting.
8. When Chicago's third line of Kirby Dach, Brandon Hagel and Sam Lafferty was on the ice together at even strength, the Panthers led in shot attempts (16-5) and shots on goal (9-2). The scoring chances were even at 5-5. That trio went up against Aleksander Barkov's line, so it's not surprising the numbers were lopsided. That's as lethal of a line as it gets.
9. Jake McCabe took only two shifts in the third period before leaving the ice. He did not return. Interim head coach Derek King said after the game he's dealing with a lower-body injury: "It's just something that was nagging him and wasn't good to go. When I get [done] with guys, I'll go and find out how long. Could be nothing, but it was enough to get him off the bench."
10. Quote of the postgame media availability from Connor Murphy on the Blackhawks' home losing streak being stretched to seven games: "Losing sucks, no matter where it is, but especially at home. We're still having good crowds and people are coming out and supporting us and we really appreciate them sticking with us on this homestand and coming out and trying to get us over the hump. We'll keep working toward that and we'll have to keep taking positives and working on some of the negatives and mistakes we've been making. We have practice days and we're really taking pride in trying to get wins here at home."
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