The broadcast compared Wyatt Kaiser to Duncan Keith seconds after Kaiser made an egregious turnover. That’s the kind of night the ESPN broadcast had. Anyway, there’s some things I’d like to talk about in the Blackhawks' 4-3 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. I won’t get into the nuts and bolts of overtime, which was entertaining. This is already a bit more lengthy than I’d like.

Observations

The Blackhawks were in the positive in Corsi for the first two periods. At 5v5, they had a 57.69% Corsi in the first and 53.89% in the second, but were only in the positive for expected goals for the first period (69.16 xG%). The Hawks looked fast and looked like they were the better team, but were hesitant to fully lean into that (if that makes sense). The Golden Knights looked slow, and I would have liked to see the Hawks capitalize on that by using the middle of the ice on breakouts to catch them on the rush. So, let’s talk breakouts.

Chicago’s breakouts sucked. It looked like they’ve moved away from using the middle of the ice and relied on that as a last resort option. The Hawks used the walls on the breakout but struggled with puck battles. There were dangerous giveaways on the breakout, like Kaiser at the end of the game or Louis Crevier shoveling the puck right to Vegas at the end of the first.

It felt like the Blackhawks had the capability to send the Knights packing, but never unleashed what they had. The Hawks even took advantage of Carter Hart’s first night back when Tyler Bertuzzi scored on a giveaway. The goal was challenged, but it stood, giving the Hawks a power play. This could have given the Hawks momentum to continue pushing, but Frank Nazar was penalized shortly after.

The third period saw some more sloppiness in the Hawks' zone. Chicago only had a 37.14% Corsi and a 34.27% expected goals share. Connor Bedard gifted the Hawks with a beautiful goal that made the ESPN broadcast moister than an oyster. Unfortunately, the Golden Knights took advantage of some horrid defensive positioning by Louis Crevier. Here’s a screenshot of Crevier way out of the dot lane. Yes. This is a hybrid defensive zone coverage, but that doesn’t change the basic fundamentals of defending a three-on-two. If you’re going out that far, at least get a stick in the passing lane and leave the low percentage shot to Spencer Knight.

Game Notes

• The Hawks went 0/5 on the power play and only generated four shots on goal. That’s unacceptable. A big part of this is because of their horrendous power play entries.
• Connor Bedard made some nice plays in the defensive zone. He also had six shots on goal and nine shot attempts in all situations.
• Ilya Mikheyev had a good night after some not-so-great games. He posted an absurd 99.66 xG% at 5v5.
• Frank Nazar isn’t looking like himself. While I do think he’s dealing with an injury, there’s just zero swagger in his game right now. He’s also been sitting in the penalty box as of late (six PIM’s in his last two).
• Oliver Moore had himself a good night with a 68.74 xG% and a 50% Corsi. Moore’s goal at the start of the game deserves mention too.
• Ryan Greene (who had a great chance to win the game in OT) continued to look like a really good bottom-six player. It might be time to put someone else with Bedard.
• Levshunov (who impaled Jason Dickinson’s eyeball) has some really interesting chemistry with Connor Bedard. Even in their wet fart of a power play, they seem to just find each other. And I like that.