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RECAP: Blackhawks fall short against Wild 4–3

  
RECAP: Blackhawks fall short against Wild 4–3
Connor Bedard scores the game's opening goal during the Chicago Blackhawks' 4–3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday. (Photo courtesy of the NHL)

The Chicago Blackhawks came into Minnesota hoping to change some recent history in the great north. The Hawks had lost seven straight in the state of hockey entering Monday’s matchup.

The lines for the contest were as follows:

Seth Jones got his second start since returning from injury and Arvid Soderblom got the call in net.

First period

In the first period, the Wild’s Brock Faber looked to have scored the game’s first goal. Upon review, the goal was overturned due to goalie interference.

The game’s actual first goal was scored by Connor Bedard. Bedard scored an “oopsie” goal to begin the game for the Hawks.

Later in the first, Kirill Kaprizov potted his 23rd goal of the season to tie the game at 1–1.

The first period ended tied at 1–1.

Second period

Nick Foligno helped the Hawks regain the lead with a rebound goal. Foligno followed Frank Nazar’s shot on Filip Gustavsson for the goal.

The assist was Nazar’s first point of this NHL season and second of his young NHL career.  Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon scored the equalizer a minute later.

The second period ended with the scored tied at 2–2.

Third period

Faber scored the Wild’s third goal of the game to give Minnesota the lead. With the margin only one goal, Teuvo Teravainen missed a crucial opportunity to level the score on a largely open net. The Teravainen shot could have changed the trajectory of the game had it found the net.

The Wild’s Marcus Foligno added an empty-netter late to extend their lead.

The Hawks tried to come back with a late goal from Jason Dickinson, but it ultimately proved too little, too late.

The Hawks fell to the Wild 4–3. Chicago has now lost 14 of 15 to Minnesota and eight in a row.

Analysis

Despite the loss, the Hawks continue to improve under Anders Sorensen. On offense, the Hawks scored three goals for the fifth time in nine games. Since taking over, Chicago have averaged three goals per game. While that is still below league average of 3.03 goals per game, it is still an improvement.

Connor Bedard

Bedard’s offensive production has improved since Sorensen arrived in Chicago. He scored his second goal in two games. Since the coaching change, Bedard has three goals and seven assists. If this offensive trend continues, the Hawks figure to be in more games this season. Bedard joined elite Blackhawks company, as he has tied Patrick Kane with the third-most regular-season points by a teenager for the Blackhawks. Despite the accolades and records being broken, fans are still demanding more of the young forward.

Frank Nazar

Nazar got his first assist of the season in the loss to Minnesota. While Nazar has been playing solid defensively, the Hawks were hoping for more offensively. While nobody hoped for this slow start, there is no reason to panic. With younger players there should be an adjustment period from the AHL to NHL. Hopefully the point against Minnesota will get Nazar started on offense.

Seth Jones

Jones skated his second game since returning from an lower-body injury. Jones’ return should have been a boost to the defensive unit and instead it has been costly. The Hawks are playing worse on defense with Jones as opposed to without him.

Blackhawks fans rejoice; their next game is on ESPN2, so the majority of people in Chicago can watch it. The Hawks’ next game is Friday against the Buffalo Sabres at 6 p.m. CST.

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