Winter Classic: Blues Tara-“sink”-o Blackhawks
Three unanswered Blues goals in the third period–two from Russian sniper Vladimir Tarasenko–shot down the Blackhawks’ chance to take two points away from Busch Stadium.
The Blackhawks, who now have lost five of their last six games, now remain atop the division and conference with 51 points. They’re closely followed by the Wild (50) and, now, the Blues (45). They’re now 1-4 in outdoor games.
Coach Joel Quennville talked about the breakdown Monday.
Here we’re in a 1-1 game, had a couple decent looks on the power play, had a good forecheck and had the puck and it’s in our net and a quick transition on the third one. So it wasn’t like we weren’t in the game, Corey [Crawford] kept us in the game as well, but it certainly, it was disappointing that you’re there, you’re looking to get a point, and hopefully, you can get two.
After Saturday’s practice, Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews emphasized the importance of an early lead as the team strives to maintain first in the division with a quickly-creeping Wild team on their tails.
“We need those points. We know coming into St. Louis that they play well with their fans. We’ll be ready. We’ll try to get a good start and get the lead. We’d much rather start hard and play with a lead.”
That’s exactly what they did. Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well on the follow-through. The Blues scored once in the otherwise tight second period, but added another three goals to finish the third.
At 1:02 into the game, Michal Kempny scored (his second NHL goal in as many games and the second-fastest in outdoor game history) with a hard one-timer from the left point, served by Artemi Panarin and Duncan Keith and screened by Artem Anisimov.
Blues Coach Ken Hitchcock told media before the game that he was less interested in puck possession time and more focused on chip-ins and a physical presence against the Hawks. However, the Blues closed outshot the Hawks 35-23. Then, they definitely showed their physicality by outhitting the Hawks 25-18, including a dangerous boarding by Robby Fabbri as the Blackhawks lost sight of their play.
At 7:45 into the second, Patrik Berglund scored the game-tying goal, assisted by Jay Bouwmeester and Alexander Steen.
CHI@STL: Berglund buries great pass from Bouwmeester https://t.co/RwYrvIUUcY
— NHL Goal Tracker (@NHLGoalTracker) January 2, 2017
“I thought it was a close game there, 1-1. We did a lot of good things and tried to make different plays,” Keith said.
In the third period, though, the game took a drastic turn.
A heartbreaking defensive blip gave Tarasenko the go-ahead goal.
Tarasenkgoal pic.twitter.com/AQXN6F6lJ7
— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 2, 2017
Set in prime position to stop the goal, Niklas Hjalmarsson instead took Tarasenko’s shot off his foot and past Crawford.
“I thought we played really good the first period. We came out good today, had a decent second, then we got away from the gameplan a little bit–and I scored a goal in our own net.”
Fabbri assisted on the goal at 12:05 in the third.
“We kind of had a breakdown,” Keith said. “He played it smart, Hjammer [Hjalmarsson] did. Those things just happen.
“We got away from our game and from keeping it simple. It comes down to sticking to the game plan.”
Just under two minutes later, Tarasenko went top-shelf across the net on a play set up by Lehtera and Fabbri.
Tarasenkgoal x2 pic.twitter.com/8nsR3mW1pG
— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 2, 2017
And, finally, Alexander Steen sealed the game for the Blues with a long-toss empty-netter with 1:14 remaining.
Steen ENG pic.twitter.com/GYSQzgbacL
— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 2, 2017
After all the concerns over weather and ice conditions, coaches and players said the ice was great.
“The ice surface was really good,” Hjalmarsson said. “It’s probably better than the last game in Carolina.”
Hitchcock was pleased with all aspects of the game:
I felt we played great today. I thought we ground on them hard, I thought we did a great job in getting pucks deep. I thought we managed the game really well. I thought we played really well. This is the same way we played against Philadelphia, and the way we played for the first half of the game against Nashville. I thought we played a really smart, sound hockey game and, quite frankly, deserved to win.
And, of course, Tarasenko, who tallied two in 1:35, was ecstatic after his first Winter Classic experience:
“I don’t think you can rank this more. It was just different. A different experience than what we have, maybe once in a lifetime, and there is no way to rank it.
“It’s just to say that it’s really cool and I was really happy to win tonight, especially to make all our Blues fans happy here.”
The Blackhawks are focused on moving forward, and anxiously awaiting Marian Hossa‘s return to the lineup–with Keith and Hjalmarsson, among others, praising the veteran’s presence on and off the ice. They said Hossa has great offensive and defensive puck control and is a leader in the locker room.
“We all know how big a part he is of this team. He’s played as good [this year] as any season even if he’s getting up there,” Hjalmarsson said. “It’ll be a big boost for us when he comes back.”
As for dropping the recent slump, the team agrees it’s about getting back to their own style of play.
From Hjalmarsson:
“This is a veteran group. We know what it takes to win games. We’re not too down. We need to do some small things. I think we’ll be back on the winning track.”
Hossa has been skating in Chicago and will likely return to the lineup soon.
The Blackhawks host the Buffalo Sabres at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday.
[…] Sunday, the Blackhawks take on the third-place St. Louis Blues (31-24-5), who sit 15 points behind them in standings, but are 2-2 against each other this season. St. Louis won 5-2 Oct. 12, with the Blackhawks taking wins 2-1 Nov. 9 and 6-4 Dec. 17 before the Blues’ strong 4-1 Winter Classic victory. […]