The Chicago Blackhawks’ impressive run came to a halt Sunday with a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center.
The defeat snapped a three-game winning streak and a run of six wins in seven games. The Kings’ Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored twice with Kevin Fiala assisting on both goals.
Early on it seemed like the Hawks barely touched the puck. They didn’t record a shot on goal until 151/2 minutes into the game.
The Kings had a 76% Corsi-for percentage at even strength and a 6-2 advantage in high-danger chances in the first period, according to naturalstattrick.com.
The Hawks were outshot 27-14 and were a step behind most of the night, with a bit of a surge in the third period. Sunday’s game was the tail of a road-home back-to-back, but players refused to use it as an excuse.
“We definitely have to be better at showing up for the first half of that game,” Connor Murphy said. “Sometimes we get away from our game and we get caught defending.”
Coach Luke Richardson cited a “lack of energy” but agreed the Kings dealt with similar circumstances playing the second of back-to-back road games.
“We just couldn’t find our game,” Richardson said. “They had the puck a lot of the first two periods, which is frustrating. We were just a little bit slow in reacting and then a little tired-looking in our defensive play, so that just made us play defense longer.
“But to (the Hawks players’) credit, they tried to push in the third.”
Ian Mitchell, drawing into the lineup in place of Isaak Phillips, scored with 3 minutes, 16 seconds left. It was his first goal since May 3, 2021.
“It’s not easy coming in and out,” Richardson said. “We talked to him the other day. We thought Isaak being a bigger presence against a heavier team in St. Louis, and the way they’re probably in a desperate situation and they crash the net … I thought it was a good decision” to give Phillips the nod over Mitchell.
“Tonight, it took a little while for Ian to settle in, but again, in and out is tough and it was nice to see him get rewarded at the end of the game. Hopefully that can build his confidence.”
Here are four takeaways from the loss.
1. Tyler Johnson reinjured his ankle.
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Johnson was tripped in the first period at the start of a sequence in which the Kings scored the opening goal.
Johnson played two more shifts but exited with 3 minutes left in the first. He wore a walking boot on his left leg after the game.
Richardson said doctors would check out Johnson on Monday, and it looks unlikely he’ll join the team on its three-game trip through Western Canada.
“I don’t think they think it’s as bad as it was before, but obviously reaggravated,” Richardson said. “It’s frustrating for him and tough for the team.
“I think last night, even at the end of the game (against the Blues), he did something and today (it made it) just a little bit worse. Before it gets too (much) worse, we thought that was it for today.”
2. Did a bit of whistle watching by the Hawks cost them that first Kings goal?
Blake Lizotte appeared to trip Johnson in the offensive zone, but there was no call.
Some Hawks went gloves up in protest for a second or two while the Kings made a break for the net. Fiala blew by MItchell and put a shot on net, and Anderson-Dolan cleaned up the rebound.
When asked if the Hawks took a beat before reacting to the breakout, Richardson acknowledged, “I think so.”
“We had the same penalty called against us last night with (Jake) McCabe. I think that’s why the guys were thinking that’s a penalty,” he said. “But you have to keep playing. You have to play to the whistle.”
The Hawks clearly didn’t.
“It kind of happened quick and I know everybody was yelling at the bench,” Richardson said. “I was looking around, so I missed it quick. But on the replay, I think Mitchell saw the guy there, but they’re a quick team and … maybe the confusion on the ice, misreacting by a second.
“But that’s all it takes.”
3. Ian Mitchell got a much-needed confidence boost.
Mitchell has been swapping starts with Phillips in recent games, and it’s tough sharing the load with another young defenseman who’s also looking to get established as an NHL regular.
Mitchell played 39 games two seasons ago but just eight last season and 13 this year.
“Every player’s path is different and for defensemen sometimes takes a bit of a longer time,” he said, “so I’ve just tried to continue to improve my game and that’s pretty much all I can do.”
He said Richardson told him to keep doing what comes natural offensively.
“That’s a big strength of my game is moving the puck and the offensive blue line making plays,” Mitchell said, “and then defensively winning my battles and moving pucks effectively on the breakouts — that’s where I can really be effective. So those are things that I have to excel at to make it for sure.”
Said Murphy: “Mitchy has that great skating and puck possession — deceptiveness in his game. You saw on that goal (he scored in the third period). He’s able to not just bury his head and shoot it into a shin pad; he knows how to find placement of pucks and know when to shoot it or when to find open players.”
4. The shots weren’t coming for the Hawks, but the Kings had a lot to do with that.
The Hawks were able to get away with going 10 minutes before their first shot on goal against the Blues because Jason Dickinson hit paydirt on their first attempt.
But they outdid themselves against the Kings, not getting a shot on goal until 151/2 minutes into the game. They had just two more attempts that period.
They put up more of a fight in the second (seven shots) but were outshot 21-10 through the first two periods and 27-19 for the game.
During their run of six wins in seven games, the Hawks did a bang-up job of beating the neutral zone press. Not so against the Kings.
“They play a pretty unique system with that 1-3-1, where it makes it tough to get through the neutral zone,” Mitchell said. “So I think maybe for the first couple periods that gave us some fits, but in the third we cracked it a bit and that’s when we got some sustained pressure.”
Richardson agreed with Mitchell’s assessment.
“We tried to adjust something we do in the neutral zone to have more speed,” he said, noting that Philipp Kurashev had a breakthrough rush in the first period but missed the net.
“They were kind of mugging us, creating a little interference, but legal moving interference, and we just had no energy to fight through it and create those breaks.”
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