CALGARY – They entered this swing to the Pacific Northwest and Canada playing their best hockey of the very young 2021-2022 season, and that continued at times during a four-game stretch away from home.
But through their four-game trip, the strong stretch under interim head coach Derek King cooled just a little bit, as the team traded a win for a loss during that stretch. That included a close contest in Calgary on Tuesday night they couldn’t quite close out.
The Blackhawks and the Western Conference-leading Flames took a 2-2 tie late into the third period before the home team was able to pull away in the final six minutes for the victory. Matthew Tkachuk’s goal with 4:35 remaining was followed up by two empty netters in final two minutes to lead to the 5-2 final score.
It dropped the Blackhawks to 2-2 on their road trip as they traded a win for a loss right after in the next contest. It began with a 4-2 win over the Kraken last Wednesday in Seattle that extended the team’s record under King to 4-0.
But that stretch ended with a 5-2 loss to the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday, but the team didn’t stay down for very long. The next night in Vancouver, Marc-Andre Fleury turned in arguably his best effort with the Blackhawks to date, making 40 saves in a 1-0 win over the Canucks.
A defeat on Tuesday prevented the Blackhawks from having a winning road trip as they fell to 6-11-2 on the season, which includes a 5-2 record under King.
Off for two days after returning home, the Blackhawks have a pair of games coming up at the United Center, including a rare Friday matinee against the Blues at 2:30 PM. On Sunday, the team hosts the Sharks for a 6 PM contest before heading off for a three-game road trip out East.