4 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 8-1 loss to the Dallas Stars: ‘We now have to get stronger mentally’

DALLAS — The Chicago Blackhawks ushered within the new 12 months by getting ushered out of Dallas through a two-game weekend sweep.

Whereas Friday’s loss to the Stars was a roller-coaster experience that was settled with 8 seconds left in time beyond regulation, Sunday’s 8-1 loss at American Airways Heart was all however a foregone conclusion after a three-goal first interval and two-goal second.

The Hawks entered the rematch figuring out what to search for: odd-man rushes.

The issue was, the Stars hardly left the offensive zone, so that they did most of their harm from under the blue line.

Craig Smith deflected in Sam Metal’s snipe for the sport’s opening aim.

Ryan Suter and Tyler Seguin scored two minutes aside.

The Hawks had a number of of their finest probabilities throughout a second-period push.

Ryan Donato backhanded a backdoor move to Jason Dickinson however Dickinson couldn’t capitalize. Isaak Phillips had a short-range wrister.

A blast from Lukas Reichel couldn’t discover its mark, and Nick Foligno tried a wraparound.

Nada.

Then the Stars collected themselves and continued the onslaught.

Sam Metal blew by way of the Hawks protection to attain on a roofer, and Mason Marchment scored on the ability play to pad the result in 5-0.

The Hawks should’ve had a heart-to-heart or drew up a play in chalk or one thing in the course of the second intermission.

Philipp Kurashev scored a power-play aim on a tick-tack-toe from Connor Bedard and Cole Guttman 39 seconds into the ultimate body.

However that glimmer of hope pale rapidly when Roope Hintz batted in a rebound aim out of midair.

Petr Mrázek acquired the hook and Arvid Söderblom acquired the nod.

He didn’t emerge unscathed both. Marchment bagged his second and third targets of the evening within the ultimate 5 1/2 minutes.

The Hawks performed a dismal first interval, allowed 35 pictures, dedicated three penalties and customarily regarded worse after getting a second crack on the identical group.

They usually gave up a hat trick to Marchment, similar to they gave Roope Hintz a hat trick on Friday.

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So what did they be taught?

“We now have to get stronger mentally and be taught to play just a little easier, to the sport plan, and getting pucks behind the group, forecheck them effectively, after which now we have to be on prime of our checks all over the place,” coach Luke Richardson stated.

“We will’t hold behind them,” he stated. “We don’t have the wheels for it, the power for it but, as people or as a group, to play unfastened run-and-gun hockey.

“We simply acquired to be stronger to sit down with our recreation plan for 60 minutes, not 15 or 45, which has occurred recently.”

Tyler Johnson left within the second with an obvious leg damage.

“He’ll most likely be out for just a little time,” Richardson stated.

Listed below are 4 takeaways.

Foligno usually provides animated postgame gut-check every time the group has a nasty efficiency, however he was virtually apoplectic after an 8-1 beating.

“That’s actually, actually disappointing,” he stated. He anticipated the identical “compete” the Hawks confirmed Friday and didn’t get it.

“My solely hope for a recreation like at the moment is we simply lastly hammer it by way of our thick heads how we’re going to want to play, and that’s not it. That’s simply not who we’re, not who we will be. That’s not what we count on within the room, that’s not what our followers ought to count on.

“That’s what pisses me off. That’s not a profitable group, that’s only a group hoping. Hoping, ‘Ah, possibly it’s a simple evening. Possibly the opposite group doesn’t have it.’ Are you kidding me? That group’s file, and we’re going to play like that? I’m sorry, simply that one is actually, actually irritating with the strides we expect we’ve been making.”

Foligno talked about “simple” once more: “Tonight it was similar to we had been hoping to have a simple recreation. Who’re we to have a simple recreation proper now?”

So what does he imply by “simple”?

“Simply the compete,” Foligno stated. “You watch our puck battles, our battles in entrance, our modifications, the way in which we alter.

“Issues that typically you will get away with right here and there, however when a group like that’s enjoying in opposition to you that’s structured, that’s older, that has had profitable habits and understands the sport, you’re going to get picked aside, and that’s what it was tonight.”

Kevin Korchinski broke the puck out, drop-passed to Bedard within the impartial zone and made two Stars defenders stumble upon one another as Bedard handed to Kurashev.

Kurashev hit Cole Guttman and drifted backward, Guttman handed to Bedard, and Bedard threaded a backdoor move to Kurashev for the aim.

Richardson stated the execution on the ability play hadn’t been nice to that time, “so Derek Plante talked to them and type of fine-tuned it just a little bit.

“However that was extra their particular person talent, making that line rush on that aim and it was a pleasant aim,” he stated. “However just a little bit too late for us to play with that type of hearth.”

Tinordi was benched Friday after a horrible evening culminated in him getting turnstiled on a third-period aim.

It was worse for Phillips.

He was on the ice for six of the Stars’ eight targets.

He acquired caught flat-footed by Metal earlier than Metal backhanded a roof shot previous Mrázek. Mason Marchment whipped in a power-play aim from the low slot whereas Phillips wasn’t scrambling to seek out the puck between his legs.

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Richardson stated he instructed Phillips that he had a powerful recreation on Friday.

“After which tonight, simply on the unsuitable facet of men and never conscious,” Richardson stated. “I feel when issues begin to go unhealthy, type of like what we talked about with Tinordi final recreation, it appeared to go like that with Philly.

“I feel he began to guess just a little bit as a substitute of simply enjoying and doing his job and trusting everyone else, and when groups and people begin doing that, it breaks down.”

It’s the much-maligned plus-minus score.

Certain, there’s some fluke issue baked into the stat. However that may’t completely clarify away Vlasic’s team-leading plus-10 score coming into Sunday’s recreation, particularly as a result of he’s not precisely an enormous contributor on offense.

“I used to be not conscious of it,” Vlasic stated in regards to the stat. “You understand, there’s going to be instances the place you get fortunate and also you’re on the ice when your group scores. After which there’s going to be instances while you get unfortunate and also you’re on the ice and the opposite group scores.

“It’s not essentially anybody’s fault or no matter, so it’s not all the time an correct illustration of how individuals are enjoying. However I wish to take pleasure in simply shutting down issues defensively after which attempting to contribute just a little bit offensively.”