CHICAGO – It was a familiar start for the Chicago Blackhawks, trailing by a pair of goals. But the second period lacked the jump they had a game prior and they couldn’t muster the same comeback they did against Toronto.
Ryan Donato recorded his fourth goal of the season but the Blues used a measured attack to beat the Blackhawks 4-2 on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues jumped out to a 2-0 lead within a couple of minutes on goals from Jake Neighbours and Kevin Hayes. But it was Donato who pulled them within a goal after redirecting a shot from Isaak Phillips that trimmed the lead to 2-1. But a Wyatt Kaiser tripping penalty put the Blues on the man advantage and they capitalized quickly. Robert Thomas found Pavel Buchnevich with a back door pass and it was an easy tap in to make it 3-1.
Any hopes of a Blackhawks comeback were snuffed out completely with 6:08 left when Neighbours notched his second goal of the night. Boris Katchouk would add one with just a minute left in the game but the Hawks would fall 4-2
Blackhawks in Early Hole Again
It wasn’t that they couldn’t hang with them–it was more that they the same attempt at momentum was snuffed out by a Blues team that jumped up on the puck when need be and were careful in their own zone. Whereas the Maple Leafs looked to be on their heels and panicking at points, the Blues were careful when they had to be and slowed the pace when need be.
For the Blackhawks, there was little else they could do. They outshot the Blues and generated chances. But even the top line with Philipp Kurashev, Connor Bedard and Lukas Reichel couldn’t find a way to get on the board.
Head coach Luke Richardson wanted some positive momentum and there certainly was some there. But they couldn’t turn it into another magical comeback like Friday’s contest. But at times, even though they outshot the Blues 33-28, they had maybe one pass too many.
Though the gradual improvements getting the shots on goal, it’ll wait for another day to start that winning streak.
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