WINNIPEG, Manitoba — One could look at the bright side and say that while the Chicago Blackhawks failed to get a shot on goal in the first two power plays Tuesday in the season opener, at least Connor Bedard put two on net during their third chance.
Bedard didn’t mince words about it.
“I mean, it was pretty bad — all three, honestly,” Bedard told the Tribune on Thursday after practice in Salt Lake City. The Hawks used that practice at Delta Center to focus on the power play.
And after just one game — a 5-2 loss to the Utah Hockey Club — the Hawks swapped positions on both units ahead of their Friday matchup against the Winnipeg Jets.
They got their first and only chance to test out the new groups in the second period. Still, no power-play goals.
It could’ve provided help, an insurance goal, in what turned out to be a 2-1 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Hawks forward Ryan Donato scored the opening goal in the second period, about 4½ minutes after the power play, when Pat Maroon sprung him on a breakaway.
More Top Picks Accommodative Dysfunction Signs Your Childs Eyes Cant Focus
Goalie Arvid Söderblom came within 1 minute, 4 seconds of first career shutout when the Jets’ Mark Scheifele scored the equalizer with Connor Hellebuyck pulled.
Scheifele stunned the Hawks again with the game-winner 38 seconds into overtime.
“I thought we played 59 great minutes and they got one six-on-five on us. It’s not going to be good enough,” Seth Jones said. “We’re tired of taking moral victories at this point.”
Added Donato: “It’s disappointing. I’m not too sure what happened, but whatever happened, it can’t happen. Even if it’s a good play by them and we didn’t make a mistake, just can’t happen.”
It cost Söderblom a career milestone, and “he did everything that he should have to earn one,” Donato said. “Played a heck of a game and you feel sorry for him.”
Söderblom faced down four shots on goal from the Jets power play in the second period. It looked like special teams was going to play a large role, particularly in as tight game as this turned out to be.
In practice Thursday, which prioritized the power play, Nick Foligno replaced Taylor Hall on the first unit, and Hall moved to flank on the second unit — which looked dismal — bumping Ryan Donato, while Alex Vlasic joined fellow defenseman Alec Martinez and Philipp Kurashev moved from flank to bumper, replacing Craig Smith.
Here’s how the lineups compare.
Projected power play against Jets
First unit
- Flank: Connor Bedard, Teuvo Teräväinen
- Bumper: Tyler Bertuzzi
- Net front: Nick Foligno
- Point: Seth Jones
Second unit
- Flank: Taylor Hall
- Bumper: Philipp Kurashev
- Net front: Pat Maroon
- Point: Alec Martinez, Alex Vlasic
Power play against Utah Hockey Club in season opener
First unit
- Flank: Connor Bedard, Teuvo Teravainen
- Bumper: Taylor Hall
- Net front: Tyler Bertuzzi
- Point: Seth Jones
Second unit
- Flanks: Philipp Kurashev, Ryan Donato
- Bumper: Craig Smith
- Net front: Pat Maroon
- Point: Alec Martinez
“It’s not that we’re blowing it up,” coach Luke Richardson said. “We’re still having different looks. Nick did an excellent job there last year net front down the middle, so we thought that would give us an option there.
“We’ve got to get simpler and start shooting pucks, so that’s the idea. Vlasic has worked on his shot. He’s shooting pucks. Marty is a great shooter as we’ve seen over the years, and (we) have two big shooters on the second unit — keep it simple, getting pucks to the net.”
Hall agreed with the power-play switch.
“It’s really struggled to start,” he said. “So I understand them changing units right away, just to make sure that we’re not spinning our tires and we’re getting the right combination as soon as we can early in the year.”
Maroon may seem like a curious choice to keep on a power play, but Richardson likes his size and toughness at the front of the net. And Kurashev’s and Hall’s line in five-on-five stood out in the first game.
“It seems like they’re getting a little bit of chemistry, too, so that was part of the thought process there as well,” Richardson said.
Some players also cautioned against making too much of the changes.
“A lot of people are capable of playing in all the spots,” Bedard said. “Start of the year (we’re) trying to find what works. So hopefully, we can go out and snap it around.”
Said Hall about the move to flank: “I’m used to it. I played that position a lot in my career, when I was in Jersey and I had my really good season. … “I think I’m pretty good at that spot on the flank position, and if that’s on the second unit, then I’m going to do my best to make sure that we have a really good second unit to go out and finish the power play and give us momentum, and just do whatever I can.”
Added Bertuzzi: “We’ve just got to continue to work at it, and obviously try to get better. More reps, more games, it’ll come.”
The Hawks ranked 28th in power-play percentage last season at just 16.6%.
In their opener in Salt Lake City, the Hawks came up empty in three opportunities against Utah’s PK, which isn’t exactly a world-beater. The former Arizona Coyotes killed 76.3% of penalties last season, which ranked 25th, just two spots above the Hawks PK.
The rest of the trip might provide a chance to get right.
The Jets ranked 21st (77.1%), though they lost one of their top penalty killers in defenseman Brenden Dillon, who’s now with the New Jersey Devils.
The Edmonton Oilers ranked 15th (79.5%) and they lost their two of their best penalty killers — Warren Foegele and Cody Ceci — via free agency and a trade, respectively. Still, the Oilers were lights out in the postseason, ranking No. 1 at 94.3%.
The Calgary Flames ranked ninth at 80.8% last season but are rebuilding and already have allowed two power-play goals in four times short-handed this season as of Thursday night.
More Top Picks Pillows Camping
On Friday night at Canada Life Centre, the Hawks got their lone man advantage in the second when Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo was called for high-sticking Maroon.
The Hawks’ first two attempts were cleared, and by the time Jets defenders knocked Teräväinen’s pass attempt to Jones into the stands, it was time for the second unit.
Kurashev’s one-timer hit the crossbar and his follow-up tip-in attempt went wide. Maroon tried twice to poke it in from the side, but Hellebuyck was ready and had plenty of backup standing between him and Maroon.
“They moved the puck quick, had some good shots, good looks,” Richardson said after the game. “Sometimes you don’t have to score on the power play to give a team momentum. You just have to have some chances like that to give a team momentum. The special teams leaned in our favor tonight, so that was a good thing.”
Jones, likely talking about his own group, the first unit, said the puck needs to move more quickly in the offensive zone.
“They’re pressuring us, they’re big, strong guys,” he said. “We’ve go to move the puck around, get some shots to the net, and once they’re tired in zone, we can start making the little cute plays. But we need to be more direct.”
It has been just a matter of the Hawks getting everyone’s buy-in with that philosophy — in practice, not just in theory.
Some of the players seem to favor moving strategically through the neutral zone, setting up their attack and picking their shots.
“I thought we got in the zone decently, like our entries were all right, which is good,” Bedard said before the game Thursday about the opener. “But once we got there, just getting it set up, not rushing anything. And once we’re set up, I think we’ll be good.
“It’s just kind of getting in that place where we’re comfortable. And I think that’ll come. It’s one game and we’re going to get better with our breakouts. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, it’s going to work out better if you go faster,’ which it might, for sure, but sometimes it’s just not what’s there.”
However, Richardson wants more speed through the zone and for the Hawks to focus less on setup and more on keeping opponents on their heels, even if it isn’t always pretty.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
“If we can establish more shooting, whether it’s from the top, even off a faceoff, because we’re not maybe set, sometimes they’re reluctant to shoot on the faceoff,” Richardson said. “So we don’t get set up first, but the other team is not set up either.
“If we shoot the puck and we’re skating forward and they’re retreating to their defensive positions, we’re probably going to get the rebounds and the pucks in the corner and get more sustained time.”
Richardson acknowledged — as Bedard alluded to — that approach can’t apply to every situation.
“To them, they’re like, ‘Oh, no, that’s not the perfect shot. I’m going to pass around, get set up here first,’ ” Richardson said Thursday. “But I think right now, earlier (in the power play), the simpler the better.”