Submitted by National Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
The Chicago Blackhawks fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Sunday at the United Center in their home finale.
Here are 10 notes from the loss:
1. The Blackhawks were outplayed in this game. the difference? Carolina went 2-for-3 on the power play and Chicago went 0-for-3. The Hurricanes scored the game-winning goal on the man advantage with 3:33 left, sucking the wind out of Chicago's sails.
2. Frank Nizar announced he will leave Michigan on Saturday after signing his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks. He was thrown into the fire on Sunday and made it a night to remember. He scored his first NHL goal on his first shot in his first NHL game. The atmosphere at the United Center was electric after he scored, and it was no surprise.
Blackhawks rookie Frank Nazar scored his first NHL goal Sunday afternoon during his first NHL game.
3. Nizar's goal deserved a bullet point of its own. Let's get to his all-around game. There were a few times early where he was looking around to make sure he was in the right spot, but he became more comfortable as the match went on. He certainly didn't look out of place in terms of skill. He also won five of 11 matches, with a winning percentage of 45.5.
One thing I noticed is that he is very involved in the game. I caught him a few times on the bench, and he was very involved in the game and always ready to go when his number was called. Another thing I noticed was that he went up to Petr Mrazek after Carolina's first goal and gave him a tap on the pillow to keep his head up. You like to see that as a young player. This shows confidence. It will be fun to watch in the coming years.
4. Speaking of Mrazk, keep the Blackhawk in it. He made 2.0 more saves than expected over two periods when the game was still 1-1 and deserved two points.
5. The Blackhawks only had five high-danger chances at even strength, according to Natural Stat Trick. Their 16 shots on goal were the second fewest in a match this season. They have had trouble generating offense, which Carolina does with most teams.
6. Connor Bedard did not have a shot on target for only the fourth time this season. But one of those games was when he left with a broken jaw. He only had one shot attempt. He was caught by hurricanes.
7. When Chicago's fourth line of Tyler Johnson, Landon Slaggert and Taylor Radish was on the ice together at even strength, Carolina went 14-2 in shot attempts and 7-0 in scoring chances. This trio had a rough night.
8. Colin Blackwell was a healthy scratch to make room for Nezar. Same with MacKenzie Entwistle, with Taylor Radish back in the lineup. Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said he wanted to make sure everyone was involved before the season ended and it wasn't necessarily a performance-based decision: “It's just a numbers thing.”
9. The Blackhawks finished the season with a 16-21-4 record at home. Last season, they were 14-23-4. So a slight improvement. Next year I imagine they hope to be above .500 at home.
10. The Blackhawks averaged 18,836 fans at the United Center this season, which ranked fifth in the NHL. Last season, they averaged 17.167, finishing 20th. The fans showed up even though it was another tough year. Bédard effect.
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