Well, so much for that break being a good thing for the Blackhawks.
They started the post-Christmas schedule much as they finished the pre-Christmas one, with a lackadaisical loss. Against a Winnipeg Jets team that was all too happy to show they could play a strong road game, despite that not being their forte this season, the Blackhawks looked like they were still struggling to find their legs.
So before we hit the road again – didn’t we just get off the road? – let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
1. That start again. This one wasn’t about being outshot, which has usually been the Blackhawks’ problem in the first period. This time, they finished with a 13-13 deadlock on shots with the Jets. The Jets, however, converted two of those shots. Blake Wheeler was in right front of the net for a rebound and Jacob Trouba’s blue-line shot got through plenty of traffic in front of Corey Crawford. Because of the holiday break the Jets didn’t fly into Chicago until Tuesday morning. So much for that leading to sluggishness. And while we’re on the subject…
2. No energy. Several Blackhawks said it: their energy level wasn’t where the Jets’ was in this one. Why not? They had three days off, they didn’t have to travel the day of the game, and yet the Blackhawks just didn’t seem to have it on Tuesday night. Oh, they showed spurts of energy. But nothing was sustained, especially puck possession. As coach Joel Quenneville said, “I think their speed, whether it was energy or not, they were beating us to loose pucks and they had the puck on their sticks and more patience with it.”
3. Where has the offense gone? We can use this for the Blackhawks’ last two games but it’s especially true against the Winnipeg Jets. Coach Joel Quenneville warned prior to the game that the Blackhawks could not get boxed out. They needed more net-front presence against the bigger Jets. They got it here and there, but not enough to disrupt Hellebuyck much. The Jets have now outscored the Blackhawks 8-2 in three games this season.
[RELATED: Blackhawks' scoring struggles against Jets continue in loss]
NHL
4. Artem Anisimov returns with a goal. Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane get a ton of credit for that line’s success but this season, especially, Anisimov deserves more. His patience and hands on his goal, which cut the Jets’ lead to 2-1 at the time, was pretty impressive. Anisimov now has 15 goals this season, seven shy of the career-best 22 he had with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013-14.
5. Panarin’s point streak continues. Panarin had the second assist on Anisimov’s goal, extending his point streak to eight games. In those games, Panarin has five goals and nine assists (14 points). Yes, Panarin is going to cash in somewhere at some point. It’s just a matter of whether it’s with the Blackhawks or someone else.