Well, that was a rough start, wasn’t it? The Chicago Blackhawks rallied to five goals after a three-goal deficit. The first goal came in 15 seconds after puck drop, just about 30 seconds after that, the Ducks scored their second of the afternoon. Not a great start, and I have some thoughts.

Observations

That was a bad first period. The Blackhawks had a 32.14% Corsi, a 27.95% expected goals share (xG%), and were outchanced 10-3 at 5v5. Alex Vlasic (more on him below) and Andre Burakovsky looked rough in the opening period. Vlasic pinched with zero support for the first goal against and had two giveaways in one shift. Andre Burakovsky didn’t look ready. He whiffed on a great Connor Bedard pass. But it wasn’t just on those two. The Hawks seem to be relying on the wall on breakouts as of late. In this period, this created a lot of turnovers, which let the Ducks take point shots and work off of rebounds. While risky, I prefer the Hawks to use the middle of the ice on breakouts. The Hawks scored on the first of two powerplays at the end, giving them momentum for the second.

The second period was strong for the Hawks. Maybe one of their best of the season so far. The Hawks had a 62.5% Corsi and a 57.07 xG%. Teuvo Teravainen and Frank Nazar overpassed on a great chance, which means I’ll see them in detention down below. The Blackhawks seemed to figure out how to pressure the Ducks' defensive structure. The Ducks played a box+1 zone coverage, which let the Hawks fire away. The Hawks could have taken advantage of this more in the first. Bedard did in the third feasting off this turnover. But I want to talk about the powerplay.

On one hand, the Blackhawks scored two powerplay goals out of four opportunities. On the other hand, Artyom Levshunov made a bad turnover at the blueline, and the Ducks had two shorthanded chances (both by Alex Killorn). And sure, the second “chance” was a goal that got waved due to offside. The Hawks need to be more aware. Out of those four chances, the Blackhawks had four shots on goal. That needs to get better as well.

Game Notes

• Connor Bedard scored two goals and four points, which ties him for second in points overall in the NHL (37 bitches). The Hawks had a 74.97 xG% with Bedard on the ice, and Bedard had five shots on goal and seven shot attempts.
• Frank Nazar registered one shot on goal and four shot attempts. While Teuvo should have just shot on that rush to start the second period, Nazar should have fired it as well. Both Teuvo and Nazar are guilty of deferring, and it’s like four Canadians at a four-way stop sign waving everyone to go. Just go, dude.
• I’m a proponent of the Hawks being in the neutral zone, but if Vlasic is going to pinch without support, he’d better win the puck. I know I recently praised Vlasic, but he’s also not been very consistent. I don’t know if that’s because of his partners or if my eyes are stupid. Vlasic did have a 67.22 xG% yesterday.
• Ryan Greene’s goal gave him four on the season and eight points. He’s certainly getting the “Kurashev-affect” playing with Bedard, but he deserves a lot of credit for the plays he’s made. He’s been given a lot of chances from Bedard (he’s missed most of them) and has a 15.38 SH%. I think Greene is an example of what this pipeline has: a lot of decent bottom-six players.