On Saturday night, the Chicago Blackhawks took on the red-hot New York Rangers hoping to capitalize off of earning a solid road win against the Washington Capitals on Thursday. However, it was not meant to be. Though the Hawks came out with great pace early, they were downed by a better team 3–2.
In the first period, the Hawks generated a number of chances, hit the post twice and then Patrick Kane finally gave the visitors a 1–0 lead. On a Chicago rush, Brandon Hagel slapped the puck out of the air just below the goal line—below his shoulder but above the crossbar—to an open Kane in front of the net. Kane tapped it in, and though the Rangers challenged the play, the goal stood and New York was assessed a minor penalty. Seth Jones notched the secondary assist on Kane’s goal.
Kaner gets one at The Garden 😌 pic.twitter.com/6vwLHEotFT
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 5, 2021
Early in the second period with Chicago up 1–0, Henrik Borgstrom took a four-minute double-minor penalty for high sticking, and the Rangers capitalized. Less than a minute into the penalty, Artemi Panarin set up Ryan Strome to make it 1–1. With 2:35 to go in the second period, the Rangers took a 2–1 lead when Adam Fox put away a rebound after Panarin fired the puck to the net. New York would take the one-goal lead into the third period.
The Hawks had a few chances throughout the third, but with just over five minutes to go, Panarin scored from the right circle. It would be his third point of the night to make it 3–1. With 1:19 left and Kevin Lankinen pulled, Alex DeBrincat scored on a one-timer from the left circle. The puck snuck through Ranger netminder Alexandar Georgiev and a replay review showed that the puck crossed the goal line just before the whistle sounded, cutting the gap to 3–2.
Chicago pressed for an equalizer, but were unable to tie the game. Lankinen was strong with 28 saves on the evening, but it was not enough. Chicago has a quick turnaround with a contest against the New York Islanders on Sunday night.
KIrby Dach is without a goal since Oct. 27 and his lack of confidence is noticeable. (Photograph courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times)
Analysis
Kirby Dach’s confidence is visibly shaken. He is having difficulty handling the puck, he is rarely generating scoring opportunities and has a mere five assists in his last 15 games. He has not scored a goal since Oct. 27, and it does not seem like one is coming anytime soon. Perhaps Derek King should consider having Dach sit in the press box for a game to think some things over, or better yet, though it would be a tough PR pill to swallow for the Blackhawks, sending Dach to Rockford for a few games to find his touch would not be the worst thing for him.
Though fans are thrilled that Jeremey Colliton is gone and King has brought a more competitive brand of hockey to this lineup, the Hawks were eight points out of playoff contention when King took over, and they are still eight points out of a playoff spot after Saturday night. They are once again at the foot of the mountain looking up. They will very likely miss the playoffs this season, and focusing on actual development of young players and parting ways with those you can move for future assets should be the preferred route as opposed to attempting to climb back into contention. Heard this song before? I am sure you have. It has been on repeat for some time and still may not get turned off for a while as this team continues to struggle.