Blackhawks Lose Effortlessly, 5-0, to the Penguins

The Blackhawks Effort

The Blackhawks started the game with promise. Sam Rinzel made excellent plays and nearly scored his first NHL goal. The Hawks owned 57% of shot attempts (Corsi) and 58% of expected goals (xG%). Kevin Korchinski was penalized for the second time near the end of the first period. Sidney Crosby capitalized on the power play and scored. 

I don't know what happened in between periods. The Blackhawks were a different team in the second period. They were slow, their back-checking was weak, and their forecheck sucked. But things didn't start falling off the rails until the Penguins scored their second goal. And here's the thing, a 2-0 lead is a very easy lead to overcome. Somehow, the Hawks looked like they didn't care.

The Blackhawks had a 31% Corsi and a 16 xG% in the second period. That's pathetic. That's while only being down two goals. These are two bad teams, the game should be what we saw on Sunday. Additionally, there are some options that Anders Sorensen could have taken but didn't. 

Anders Sorensen

Again, there's an asterisk next to this game. The season is winding down. The players are smelling the barn. But it shouldn't matter if it's game one or game 82, there are lessons to be learned on the ice as a professional. You know players like Landon Slaggert are hungry for those lessons. 

When the Hawks are down 2-0 in the second period, it's time to turn up the aggression. The Hawks run a 2-1-2 forecheck, which should be aggressive, but the way the Hawks forecheck is that they pressure passing lanes. The F1 can absolutely pressure the puck carrier to make a rushed decision and create a turnover. Sorensen also runs a 1-2-2 in the neutral zone and a 1-1-3 if he's feeling "turtly."

The Hawks' defensive zone coverage has both defensemen pressuring the puck carrier when below the goal line. The low forward has the responsibility of supporting or protecting the low-slot. I plan on breaking this down more in-depth later on, but this is a large reason why the Hawks get pinned in their zone for so long (that, and inexperience). 

Sorensen's response to the 2-0 lead was having Oliver Moore play on Connor Bedard's wing. And the Blackhawks still dumped the puck into the offensive zone more than I cared to see. When a team is bad like the Blackhawks, that's your best option to slow the bleeding. Sometimes, it works. But when it's not working, and you have the talent and players who want to carry the puck into the zone, maybe encourage zone entries through the middle. Having the F1 delay wide to spread the defense works when you can get set up. Sometimes, you just have to crash the net. 

I don't know if Anders Sorensen said something between periods, or maybe he didn't say anything at all. But there was no timeout called. Nothing to at least get their blood going. I'm not asking for yelling. I'm asking for caring. These are professionals. But the whole coaching staff is just standing there with their hands in their pockets. That's 60 minutes that can be used to mold these young players. Teach them something. Anything. 

With the recent comments from head coaches making it clear they don't want to be there (John Tortorella in Philadelphia, Peter Laviolette in New York), I have a deep suspicion that maybe Sorensen doesn't want to be a head coach in the NHL anymore. And this is pure speculation on my part. But if I'm a young rookie who cares about every game, I would find it disheartening if my head coach didn't care as much as I do. 

Individual Effort

It's not just on Sorensen. The players need to buy in. Which, clearly they haven't. Veterans like Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi made inexcusable mistakes. Teravainen turned the puck over at the blue line which led to a Penguins goal. Bertuzzi, other than falling every two seconds, had seven giveaways. 

Kevin Korchinski had two penalties (granted, one was quite soft), made careless mistakes, and looked visibly defeated. I'm pretty high on Korchinski with the understanding that his physicality needs to improve. Now I'm concerned about his mentality at the NHL level. 

Want to know who played like they cared? Frank Nazar. An 81% Corsi and a 68 xG% speaks of his mentality. Every game Nazar gives it his all and that needs to spread. There's no time for sad pandas at the end of the season. But that fire that Nazar has is very easy to break. 

What's On Tap Next?

Kyle Davidson has a lot to fix this offseason. It will be tempting to make a rash move that derails his rebuild. At the same time, beyond a coaching hire, he needs to get players for Connor Bedard. And there aren't a lot of options this summer. 

This team will be bad again next season. But it cannot be like this season. Multiple losses like Tuesday's eat confidence. This is how you breed losing and you cannot accept that in your locker room. Even if the game "doesn't matter." In the NHL and all professional sports, every detail matters.

The Blackhawks take on another bottom-feeder team from the East as they head to Boston to visit the Bruins on Thursday, April 10, at 6 p.m. CT.