Santa Claus made an appearance at the United Center on Tuesday night. He sounded the horn before the puck drop of the Chicago Blackhawks game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Hawks wanted a win for Christmas. They got more coal instead, with a sixth-straight loss in regulation, this time a 3-1 contest to the Flyers.
Scoring was hard to come by once again for the home team without Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. The Hawks have scored just eight goals in the absence of Bedard this season, a 1.6 goals-per-game average across five games.
At 13-17-6, they’re at the bottom of the NHL standings going into the Christmas break. It’s a far cry from the playoff talk that surrounded the team heading into Thanksgiving.
“We’re doing our best, I don’t think we’re focusing on what’s been in the past,” a dejected André Burakovsky said. “We look forward to the next game and try to find success.”
Without Bedard and Nazar, the Hawks don’t have a forward who is decisive in shooting the puck. The home team had four shots on goal in the first period.
The Hawks prevented the Flyers from utilizing the center of the ice for a good portion of the first period. Philadelphia right winger Travis Konecny was able to find a crack in the Hawks’ defense at 10:17 in the first to go up 1-0.
The power play, despite not seeing a goal with a man advantage, produced some looks for the Hawks in the second. They took 10 of their 21 shots on goal in the second period.
“In the end, we had more chances than they did (but) we didn’t score,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “On the power play there at the end, we generated chances (and) that was probably our best power play.
“(We got to) keep grinding and find a way to score.”
Ryan Donato scored a goal for the first time since Nov. 28 at 18:30 in the second period. It was a sigh of relief, even with the chances he’s generated.
“I think it’d be different if I wasn’t getting the chances, that would be a little scary,” Donato said. “Definitely a little bit of weight off the shoulders.”
It can be tough to deal with a skid like the Hawks are on, especially with a young team. But the skaters seem to be keeping their heads up.
“The young guys are actually always positive, in great moods and happy-go-lucky guys,” Donato said. “It’s a matter of finding a way to win.
“There’s no negative attitude, there’s no feeling sorry for ourselves. I think everybody’s hungry to push in the right direction.”
Spencer Knight (17 saves) skated off the ice near the end of the third period, down 2-1. It was poorly timed, as the Flyers went on a breakaway with right winger Carl Grundstrom scoring the empty-netter to put Philadelphia up by two.
“I made the decision to pull him,” Blashill said. “I thought we were getting possession (and) we didn’t get possession, so that’s on me.”
Nick Lardis seems to be the Hawks’ best chance at putting shots in the back of the net without Bedard and Nazar. His ice time increased to 10:32 against the Flyers compared to 8:17 on Saturday in Ottawa.
He didn’t have any shots on goal, but he was active on the power play. The young player also got into a scuffle with right winger Matvei Michkov early in the third, sending them both to the penalty box.
“When you get into those type of combative situations, that brings the emotional level of the whole building up,” Blashill said. “At least it puts (the team) in a position to have that emotion rise, which I think is a good thing.”
If Lardis’ ice time is going to increase, Blashill is looking for a few things from the young winger.
“I would say finding space at this level, he’s not really fast and he’s not really big,” Blashill said. “He’s a good skater (but) he’s not going to separate himself with his speed, so I think he’s got to find the right spacing.”
For now, the Hawks need to enjoy the holiday break. With the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders on the horizon, things aren’t getting easier.
“I think with where we’re at, (the break is) probably a good thing,” Blashill said. “I love Christmas, I love seeing my family and I’m sure a number of guys are the same way.
“Flying to Dallas that first day coming out is a hard thing, but we’re going to have to find a way to grind.”