Start strong, finish weak.
The Chicago Blackhawks have followed that pattern more often than they’ve dominated through the first 10 games of the season.
Sunday’s practice against the visiting Florida Panthers offers Chicago another chance to make amends.
“I still like our team a lot,” Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said. “We don’t have a full group yet. I’m looking forward to the day when we have a full group. We’re 3-7, so it’s a long way from where we want to be. I don’t think we’re going to click and turn the other way, but we’ve got to make it happen. … It’s going to be a broken record until we get it right.”
Chicago fell to 2-3-0 on a seven-game homestand with Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Skating without defenseman Bowen Byram (upper body) and forward Andrew Mangiapane, who was activated off injured reserve in the morning, the Blackhawks still built early momentum.
Captain Connor Bedard scored 4:23 into the game and Jordan Greenway hit the post in the first period. But the Blackhawks conceded a goal at 17:29, starting a streak of four straight Montreal tallies to tie the game.
In the third, the Blackhawks needed 8:45 to record their first shot on goal.
“We’ve got to have some conversations … and figure out how we can be better because obviously (what we’ve been doing) isn’t good enough,” defenseman Ian Cole said. “We’re starting the game well, we’re looking good, we’re flying, we’re going fast – that’s great, but at the end of the day they’re bringing it to us.”
Meanwhile, Florida, which has been slumping since Brady Tkachuk scored in the first period of Wednesday’s trip to Ottawa, where Tkachuk played for eight seasons, has allowed nine straight goals.
The Senators rallied for a 5-1 victory, then the host Pittsburgh Penguins cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Panthers on Thursday. Sam Reinhart had six shots and Sam Bennett four, but the Panthers couldn’t solve Penguins goaltender Arthurs Silovs as Florida was shut out for the first time this season.
“I don’t know that we’re on the spectrum of arrogance and softness that I’ve allowed to come into our game,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “I’ll find it here in a couple of days. … I’ve got to figure out where it’s coming from. I think it’s coming from me. So we’ve got a good 48 hours to figure it out and find an answer.
“I just have to get their attention.”
Matthew Tkachuk added: “Those things just can’t happen. It’s not even that we’re losing, it’s that we’re playing. That’s something we’ve got to fix here.”
Even though the losses were repeated, the Panthers were a part of league history after goaltender Cooper Black on Thursday. The 6-foot-9 junior made 17 saves to become the tallest netminder to appear in the NHL.
Defenseman Gustav Forsling left the game after being hit by a puck in the third period.
Akira Schmid is set to start in net, Maurice said Saturday.
– Field Level Media