The Chicago Blackhawks were feeling good at the end of Tuesday’s 5-2 victory at the United Center, while the Calgary Flames were reeling from their 13th regulation loss in 21 games.
Sure, the Flames are in a place where defeats can benefit them, but seeing the loss column grow after each game can be frustrating — and that frustration boiled over in the final seconds.
Photos: Chicago Blackhawks beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 at the United Center
Flames right wing Adam Klapka threw Hawks defenseman Sam Rinzel onto the centennial logo at center ice, and Rinzel retaliated. Skaters from both sides joined the fight, and Rinzel got tangled up with Flames defenseman Brayden Pachal after Paychal dragged Rinzel by the collar.
The scuffle lasted for about a minute while “Chelsea Dagger” played in tune with the punches thrown.
What a way to return for Rinzel.
The 21-year-old rejoined the lineup against the Flames after he was a healthy scratch in the Hawks’ 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Coach Jeff Blashill called it a needed reset for Rinzel to take a step back and evaluate.
“He’s shown (that) he’s a great defenseman in this league (and) he’s played great games,” Blashill said. “We just need him to get back to that level. Sometimes as a coach, you sit a guy to give him a chance to take a breath, regroup and then re-attack.”
Rinzel led the top power-play unit to start the season and skated for 20-plus minutes five times in the first 10 games. In the Hawks’ seven-defenseman lineups, he was often in the top pair with Alex Vlasic.
More recent games found Rinzel falling into a slight rut. He whiffed shots on power plays, fumbled the puck in the offensive zone and saw his blocked-shot production tumble.
His ice time went from 19:54 on Nov. 3 in Seattle to 11:29 on Nov. 12 against the New Jersey Devils. Then Blashill made the move to have Rinzel watch a game from the sideline.
“When he’s at his best, he’s controlling the puck,” Blashill said. “Part of the maturation in the NHL is when to move it (and) when to make a play, make sure he’s a guy who is making plays but also (knows) when to live another day.
“The bigger issue is sensing danger. That’s probably cost him more big chances than anything else. (I) expect (he’ll) come back and he’ll play good hockey and build his game back to where he’s been at different times this year.”
The 2022 first-round draft pick took his benching versus the Maple Leafs in stride. Rinzel’s confidence never has left, and he knows the results will come back.
“It can be really frustrating mentally going through that as a player, (but) I’m always confident in myself,” Rinzel said. “I know my game, especially when I’m playing well, is a confident game.
“I’ve just got to be better in a couple areas I know I’m relatively good at. Anytime you can watch a game, you can figure it out a little bit (and) pick up on little things that may help you.”
Rinzel had 17 shifts totaling 14:16 of ice time against the Flames. He had four giveaways and 10 penalty minutes but also had a plus-2 rating and picked up his fourth point of the season when he assisted on the first of Connor Bedard’s three goals.
It wasn’t perfect, but he’s getting back into the swing of things. Blashill saw some flashes of the early-season Rinzel.
“(Rinzel) and I looked at some clips from last year and this year where he’s been an elite player in the league,” Blashill said after the game, “and I said to him (that) we’re not hoping he can do it — we’ve seen it — and he did it at times tonight.
“I thought he was conscious of trouble when there was trouble. Those are all the things he has to keep working on, but I thought it was a good first step back after being scratched.”
Fellow defenseman Artyom Levshunov went through a similar lull early in the season. He struggled in training camp and the first two games and was scratched in the home opener versus the Montreal Canadiens. He has turned it around since then and is second on the team with 10 assists.
Rinzel doesn’t consider Levshunov’s improvement motivation for himself. He knows consistency is the key to his game.
“Anytime your guys are playing well, you’re happy for him and it’s good to see,” Rinzel said. “I’ve been in these little lows before in my life. I’m a hockey player just like everyone else, (so) it happens. Getting back to my game is the most important (and) having fun and playing hard.”