Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
The Chicago Blackhawks were shut out for the fourth time in six games after being blanked by the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Saturday at Scotiabank Saddledome.
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Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. The Blackhawks have officially set a new franchise record by losing their 20th consecutive game on the road. The previous longest was 19 games, which came from the 2003-04 season. The Blackhawks are 0-19-1 in their last 20 away from home.
2. The Blackhawks had an expected Goals For of 2.86, per Natural Stat Trick. Their actual goals: 0. They deserved better after generating nine even-strength high-danger chances in the first period and 13 total, which is a new season-high. Their previous high was 12, which they had done three times.
3. Hard to be disappointed by the Blackhawks' effort, especially for the first 40 minutes. They were in control for most of the game before the Flames tilted the ice in their favor in the third period. Calgary's lone goal came in the second on the power play.
Chicago Blackhawks
4. This was one of Lukas Reichel's best games in quite some time. He moved his feet, skated with confidence, and created multiple chances. The exact kind of performance you hoped he would have to take into the break.
5. Boris Katchouk had two breakaways in this game. Philipp Kurashev had another, and Reichel had a half-breakaway too. I'm probably missing another one. The Blackhawks just couldn't capitalize on any of them. That sums up the offense pretty well right now.
6. Petr Mrazek stopped the first 21 shots he faced before Calgary scored the lone goal of the game on the power play in the second period. He finished with 29 saves on 30 shots for a save percentage of .967. He's been the team MVP to this point.
7. The Blackhawks didn't have a single power play against Edmonton on Thursday after having a strong showing in that department on Wednesday in Seattle. They recorded seven shot attempts and only one shot on goal against Calgary but nothing from the high-quality areas.
8. Colin Blackwell had a three-point outing in the last matchup vs. Calgary on Jan. 7. While he didn't light up the scoresheet this time around, I thought his line with Joey Anderson and Jason Dickinson was Chicago's best trio.
9. Going into the bye week and NHL All-Star break last season, the Blackhawks were 15-29-4 with 34 points and a -56 goal differential through 48 games. This season, they're 14-34-2 with 30 points and a -72 goal differential through 50 games.
10. The break is coming at a perfect time for the Blackhawks, who still have seven players on injured reserve, including Connor Bedard. They desperately needed a week and a half off to rest and recover. The Blackhawks don't return to action until Feb. 7.