10 observations: Hawks pick up point but fall to Kraken originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks fell to the Seattle Kraken 3-2 in a shootout at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. The Kraken picked up their first win of the season when trailing after two periods. They were 0-16-1 in their first 17 games in such situations.
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2. Marc-Andre Fleury picked up where he left off against Anaheim, turning aside the first 15 shots he faced and stopping 35 of 37 shots for a save percentage of .946. He made 63 straight saves prior to Seattle's first goal, dating back to the second period of the Montreal game on Thursday. His best save was a highlight-reel one in the third period, as seen below. He even stopped a penalty shot as well. Fleury deserved better.
https://twitter.com/NBCSBlackhawks/status/1483230060391940103
3. The Blackhawks generated only nine scoring chances at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. It's their fewest in a game this season. Their previous season-low was 11 on Jan. 11 vs. Columbus.
4. On the flip side, the Blackhawks allowed 27 scoring chances and 11 high-danger chances at 5-on-5. They had only three of their own. Not a great offensive performance, although Seattle is one of the better defensive teams, analytically. The Kraken went into the game ranked No. 1 in inner slot shots against per game at 5.2, according to Sportlogiq.
5. Dominik Kubalik scored in his third straight game, but it was Erik Gustafsson that made the play happen. He broke up a scoring chance in the defensive zone then found Kubalik with a stretch pass. Great play all-around. Gustafsson, quietly, has four assists (three primary) in his last three games.
https://twitter.com/CRoumeliotis/status/1483217739279998979
6. Chicago's fourth line of Ryan Carpenter, MacKenzie Entwistle and Jujhar Khaira had a tough day. When the three of them were on the ice at even strength, the Kraken led in shot attempts (9-1), shots on goal (4-1), scoring chances (6-0) and high-danger chances (2-0).
7. The Kraken recorded 74 shot attempts. It's the third-most attempts the Blackhawks have given up in a game this season. The Blackhawks blocked 20 of those shots, with Calvin de Haan leading the way at four.
8. With Lukas Reichel being sent back to Rockford, Henrik Borgstrom was promoted to the first line with Brandon Hagel and Patrick Kane. It lasted one period before Philipp Kurashev was bumped up to serve as the first-line center. The results weren't exactly better.
9. Interim head coach Derek King told reporters that Seth Jones tested out of COVID-19 protocol but will rejoin the team when the Blackhawks return to Chicago. There was no point in trying to fly him across the country, especially considering that Jake McCabe was activated after missing the last three games while in COVID-19 protocol.
10. Sad news: Chicago sportscaster Les Grobstein died on Sunday afternoon at the age of 69. He was the kind of late-night sports talk radio and had been a staple in the market for more than 50 years. The Blackhawks honored Grobstein on the broadcast, a classy tribute and gesture by the organization.
https://twitter.com/NBCSBlackhawks/status/1483224723014234119
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