It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the Chicago Blackhawks. They’re struggling with a four-game losing streak, along with a 5-11-0 record as they try to find their way. In the meantime, they’ve made some positive lineup changes, celebrated a personal player milestone, and look to change their fortunes sooner rather than later. Here’s the latest news and rumors.
Blackhawks Lose 4 Straight
The Blackhawks have had two and three-game losing streaks so far this season, but this is the first time they’ve lost four games in a row. It’s disheartening, because they beat the Florida Panthers previously before falling 4-3 to them on Nov. 12. They’d also won against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but lost to them 4-2 on Nov. 16. The Nashville Predators actually had a worse record than the Blackhawks headed into their matchup on Nov. 18. But the Blackhawks came out flat, and ended up falling 4-2. The tilt the very next night versus the Buffalo Sabres was supposed to be that feel-good bounce back game at the United Center. Until it wasn’t. The Blackhawks lost 3-2.
A common theme here is, with the exception of the game against the Panthers, that the Blackhawks were only able to manage two goals in the following contests. This team doesn’t have good enough defense or goaltending to consistently win by scoring only two goals. It can also be argued they don’t have enough depth to score more than two goals per night. Perhaps this is all starting to catch up to them a little bit.
Although he earned two assists, Connor Bedard was mostly contained in the last three contests. The team as a whole seems to be in a bit of a lull as their inconsistent efforts continue. I know it’s hard to get excited for every single game, but this team doesn’t have the talent to win without their best effort every single night. They need to dig deep to find ways to win.
Related – Blackhawks Can Focus on Bigger Picture Amid Inconsistencies
It’s a long season, and there will be ups and downs. Hopefully the Blackhawks can put this current “down” behind them.
Bedard & Reichel Finally Put Together
On a more positive note, as of the last game against the Buffalo Sabres, Lukas Reichel has been placed on the top line alongside Bedard and Philipp Kurashev. He’s also been inserted onto the top power play unit since Nov. 16 versus the Lightning. Both changes have been to try to snap Reichel out of his slump (only two points in the first 13 games), and both have brought immediate results.
Reichel scored his first goal of the season on the power play against the Lightning; a deflection that came from Reichel playing the bumper position on the power play.
The monkey is off his back: Lukas Reichel scores on the power play for his first goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Ko9MGDauou
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 17, 2023
It was great for him to get that monkey off his back, and has also earned him that spot on the man advantage since then. But more importantly, Reichel was promoted to the top line for the Blackhawks’ most recent tilt against the Sabres.
Head coach Luke Richardson was hesitant to put Reichel on the wing because he wanted the 21-year-old to establish himself in the role of center behind Bedard. But Reichel has struggled to produce in this role, so they finally gave him a look on left wing, alongside Bedard and Kurashev. The trio did produce the game-tying goal in the second period, with Reichel earning the secondary assist. They had some good overall offensive numbers as well.
Great first game for the Reichel-Bedard-Kurashev line:
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 20, 2023
16-10 in shot attempts
10-5 in scoring chances
68.7% xG ratio
There is some defensive liability with this line, but the hope is they will make up for that with their offensive production. It could also jump-start Reichel, who has plenty of talent and skill, but has been snake bitten to start the season. How this line fares will be something to watch moving forward.
Kurashev Plays in 200th Game
Speaking of the top line, Kurashev skated in his 200th NHL game, all with the Blackhawks, on Nov. 18 versus the Predators. Surprisingly, Kurashev is the most tenured Blackhawks’ player behind defenseman Connor Murphy (currently 389 games).
Congrats to Philipp Kurashev on playing in his 200th game yesterday 💯💯 pic.twitter.com/4rSe0cSrVf
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 19, 2023
Now in his fourth campaign with the Blackhawks, Kurashev is starting to heat up since starting the season late due to a wrist injury. In 10 games played, Kurashev has registered four goals and 10 points, including two goals and four points in the last three games. Here’s his goal from his 200th game!
Philipp Kurashev cleans up the rebound from Connor Bedard's shot and scores his third goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/4UrLpsq6Y7
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 18, 2023
Kurashev and Bedard have been together on the top line since Richardson promoted Kurashev at the end of the game in his season debut against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 24. With Reichel now on that line, they could definitely do some damage.
Making the United Center a Place to Win Again
Of the Blackhawks’ five wins to date, only one has been on their home ice at the United Center. Yes, the fans at the 5-2 win on Nov. 4 over the Panthers should consider themselves lucky.
When will it happen again? Well, as I mentioned above, the Nov. 19 matchup against the Sabres would have been the perfect way to redeem a three-game losing streak. But instead it turned into four consecutive losses. Veteran player Nick Foligno put this into some perspective after the game.
I’ve been on the other side of it when you come in this building and you’re hoping to get a win some nights. I want to create that again. The fans deserve that. They sell it out every night to watch us play.
It’s a great building when we’re playing the right way and we haven’t gotten the results we need and it’s disappointing because we want to make this a hard place to play.
Foligno is trying to instill that winning culture where it’s just taken for granted that you can win every night, especially at home. It’s the kind of swagger that the 2010, 2013 and 2015 Blackhawks’ championship teams had.
Let’s face it; this team is nowhere near as talented as any of those former teams. But you have to start somewhere, and using the comfort of your own barn and the energy of your home crowd is one way to start.
Coach Richardson reiterated this sentiment. “It’d be great to have a winning record here. Because the atmosphere will only get louder, and it becomes more difficult for the other teams.”
Unfortunately, this young team still needs to learn how to win. They’re getting better at executing, staying in games and playing for each other, but finding that consistent finish is still an issue.
Related – 3 Takeaways From Blackhawks’ Losses to Predators & Sabres
The Blackhawks have five more games in November, three at home and two on the road. Winning a few of them could certainly help their confidence; especially if they can get the United Center rocking!