The Chicago Blackhawks continued their disappointing start to 2022 with a 6–4 loss to the lowly Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.
For a team that continues to tease its fanbase with highlight-reel goals while the on-ice product continues to tumble toward irrelevancy, it is going to be another long season with anyone’s guess as to when this franchise will return to their winning ways.
The Yotes got on the board first when Dysin Mayo sent a sharp-angle wrist shot over the shoulder of Marc-Andre Fleury at 3:16 of the first frame. Though the Hawks generated chances throughout the period and tallied 13 shots, Arizona took a 2–0 lead with less than a minute to play when Johan Larsson deflected in a shot from the point.
In the second period, Chicago came out firing. Kirby Dach cut the lead in half by batting in a rebound out of mid-air to the back of the next. Philipp Kurashev and Connor Murphy assisted on the play.
Connor Murphy➡️Philipp Kurashev➡️Kirby Dach🚨
Dach bats the puck out of the air baseball style for his 6th goal of the season to cut the #Blackhawks deficit to 2-1 just 1:02 into the 2nd period!pic.twitter.com/E6rqu4lYU3
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) January 7, 2022
Just after five minutes into the period, MacKenzie Entwistle scored his fourth goal of the year off a nifty feed from Jonathan Toews to make it 2–2.
NHL Video Highlight – Jonathan Toews feeds Mackenzie Entwistle a nice pass, who puts away the tying goal in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/g0MpKPci7R
— Chicago Blackhawks Bot (@BHawksGameBot) January 7, 2022
After a Murphy penalty at the halfway point of the period, the Coyotes regained the advantage when Phil Kessel fed Travis Boyd in front of the net. Arizona took the 3–2 lead into the third period.
Chicago essentially gave the game away in the third stanza, and attempted to claw back late, but was unsuccessful. After surrendering two quick goals that gave the Yotes a 5–2 lead, Jake McCabe scored to make it 5–3. The goal was initially credited to Toews, but was changed to McCabe’s tally on Friday.
Toews with his 5th goal of the season and 7th point in his last 9 games#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/NKXidej4MS
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 7, 2022
Later in the third, Alex DeBrincat swatted in his 21st goal of the season on the power play with the help of Dylan Strome and Patrick Kane.
DeBrincat with the powerplay goal for his 21st of the year, pulling the #Blackhawks within one of the #Yotes 5-4#CHIvsARZ pic.twitter.com/h9Hjn7dhvW
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 7, 2022
It all proved to be too little, too late, as the Coyotes scored an empty-net goal and skated away with the win. Arizona goalie Karel Vejmelka steered away 32 shots and was impressive throughout the night.
Blackhawks fans should continue to be prepared for more tough results in the games ahead. The Hawks head to Nevada to take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday for a 9 p.m. CST start.