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In the long run, the Chicago Blackhawks are still winners but losers.
In the here and now, it’s hard to gloss over the ugly display the Hawks put on during a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center on Saturday, their sixth straight loss.
The rebuild is a process that will certainly be aided by better draft lottery odds as the league’s last-ranked team.
But it’s said time and time again that players are competitive by nature and “don’t like to lose no matter the circumstances,” said Ryan Donato, who scored one of the Hawks’ two goals Saturday and assisted Philipp on the other. Kurashev.
“Losing is a tough pill to swallow, but at the end of the day, there’s a bigger picture at play. I think the kids know it. But you still have to win.”
Kurashev said: “When you play badly, you deserve to lose. It’s frustrating.”
Culture is also a process.
The Hawks can’t be satisfied with the young core simply learning. They have to learn the elements necessary to win and repeat that formula over and over again.
“I think you’re telling them it’s not okay to lose.”
–Ryan Donato on message to young Blackhawks players about staying positive during losses pic.twitter.com/7ZiFcEDeXv
—Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) March 3, 2024
“I think you’re telling them that it’s not okay to lose, right?” Donato said. “That is the most important. And they don’t feel comfortable losing either.
“These young people are hungry. They don’t like to lose. That’s good. … One bright spot going forward is how sick they are of losing these guys. “I’m happy to be a part of it and I hope we can grow it.”
Here are six takeaways.
1. How to describe this loss? “Sloppy,” for starters.
Coach Luke Richardson said the Hawks were not composed.
“It was a really sloppy game on our part, from the beginning,” he said. “We played very slow. We kept giving pucks back and they kept coming at us, so it’s a bad combination.”
“When it bounces to you and against you, you have to simplify, cut, support, advance the puck and just play in the other team’s zone. “We just couldn’t figure it out fast enough.”
“It was a really sloppy game from the beginning.”
–Luke Richardson on the Blackhawks’ 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday, their sixth in a row pic.twitter.com/KksGd13Jz6
—Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) March 3, 2024
It was a bad sign from the start when Seth Jones lost the puck without pressure, straight to Alexandre Texier, who took the gift and poked it to Arvid Söderblom 33 seconds into the game.
Richardson said: “The first play was tough. … That record should have come out twice before that happened, but we kept spinning it the first time, thinking we were going to get something better and it ended up being something worse.”
Jones’ draw wouldn’t be the last.
During a power play in the second period, Nick Foligno made a spinning blind pass to Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski.
It ended as an awkward run the other way and Jones tripped Sean Kuraly.
Hockey’s version of howling tonight over turnovers?
Luke Richardson: “A little bit, yeah. It’s just not composed… It’s just not a smart game.” pic.twitter.com/gRon1IGoOi
—Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) March 3, 2024
Richardson said: “On the power play, we grab the puck, panic, and throw it away when they’re actually retreating. … Instead of maybe taking a step and having some composure and feeling and looking at each other and talking to each other. It’s just not a smart game.
“Even with the change on the power play, you’re disappointed because three guys switch, (Columbus) is smart, so they take off and get a 3-on-1, and Seth actually had to take a penalty for that. That kind of things.
Things like when the Hawks rushed and Boris Katchouk went behind Isaak Phillips, getting picked off by Yegor Chinakhov.
“Four on four, their penalty is running out, and we turned the puck over at the blue line in the second period instead of shooting it, and now they’re on our heels and we’ve got tired guys killing it.” a new power play in the second period,” Richardson said. “We got away with it, but it wasn’t a very smart game.”
Kurashev said it was all just poor execution.
“Our passes and stuff were never flat and they bounced,” he said. “We have to figure out how to play in those circumstances. “We didn’t do a good job tonight.”
“I think overall we weren’t executing today. In our passing and stuff, they were never flat and just bounced pucks.”
-Philipp Kurashev on the Blackhawks’ 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets pic.twitter.com/yYNryCsxT6
—Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) March 3, 2024
2. Did you want a net front? Ryan Donato gives you a net front.
The Hawks got a quick hook on Anthony Beauvillier playing on the top line with Connor Bedard and Kurashev.
Now, they are giving another twist to Donato, who started the season on Bedard’s line.
“Donato is a guy who goes to the net and he’s a shooter,” Richardson said before the game. “We just thought he looked good at the end of the last game. “We tried something and thought we’d try it here tonight.”
It didn’t start well.
During the first period, Kevin Korchinski set up the ball for Donato with a single shot from the front of the net, but he missed.
Donato didn’t remember it after the game.
“I wish I could,” he said. “He probably gave me a big pass and I kind of blew it.”
However, later in the period, Donato threw a pass from behind the net to Bedard, who kicked it to Kurashev for the Hawks’ first goal.
In the third, Kurashev’s shot bounced off the back wall and Donato charged and put it into the corner.
It was Donato’s first goal since December 22.
“I’m happy we finally got some offense going, but we also have to be responsible on our end,” he said.
Richardson gave Donato the equivalent of a B+.
“There were times where Donato, like everyone else, maybe missed the puck a couple of times, but his attempt was great to get to the net,” he said. “That’s what he does well and he was rewarded with the goal, which was nice to see.
“Hopefully that can give him some confidence in the scoresheet. He kind of missed the mark and missed a goal in the first half, but I like that he was in the right place to have the opportunity.”
3. Well, that escalated quickly.
Texier’s first goal was the second-fastest goal allowed to a Hawks opponent this season.
Here are the opponent’s three quick scores:
- 39 seconds: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on November 12
- 33 seconds: Alexandre Texier, 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday
- 15 seconds: Sidney Crosby, 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 15
4. Arvid Söderblom had problems again.
It wasn’t a disaster, like previous games where it was or should have been removed, but more of what has become Söderblom’s norm.
On the plus side, he survived a slow start by the Hawks defense, where they couldn’t seem to get a stick on the puck (not counting the one Jones handed over).
On the bad side, there’s no way to characterize Mathieu Olivier’s backhand goal as anything more than soft.
“Yeah, I think so, on the short side,” Richardson said. “But he came fast and (Olivier) hit him when he was coming, changed speed, changed direction a little bit and found a hole.
“Just like everything else that was going against us tonight, it seemed destined to go in.”
5. Cultural change?
Tyler Johnson brings a unique perspective to the Hawks locker room.
He was able to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning become back-to-back winners. Over the past two seasons, he has seen the Hawks tear down everything and start from scratch.
“I was lucky in Tampa, we built it basically for 10 years,” he said after a morning skate on Saturday. “My first year we traded a lot of guys who wanted to change the culture, and it took a long time.”
The Hawks have been a tourniquet when it comes to leadership. Out is the old guard like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. There are newcomers like Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson.
Johnson, another leader, could find himself out of Chicago if he is traded this week or does not re-sign with the Hawks.
“Culture is a funny thing, because when you have it, you just have it,” he said. “It’s one of those things that you have to build, but when new players arrive, things change.
“The kids have different personalities, different ways of doing things. Since my first year here three years ago, it’s completely different than it is now just because we’ve had so many different changes, so many different guys.”
Not only the players, but also the coaching staff and front office have changed drastically since then-general manager Stan Bowman acquired Johnson in July 2021.
“So, it takes a little bit of time to build it,” he said.
6. A contrast of personalities.
Foligno has taken on the role of de facto captain, but Richardson said he is also counting on Johnson.
“Tyler is a calm guy. He sure isn’t as loud as Nick,” the coach said. “But he’s always talking calmly on the bench about things that need to be done better or good things that have happened and where Nick will stand up, he’ll bang his stick and rah-rah.
“Just different styles, but definitely similar features, for sure.”
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