10 observations: Hawks let lead slip away to Hurricanes originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 at the United Center on Wednesday.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. The Blackhawks scored the first goal again vs. Carolina and took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. Things were looking positive. But the Hurricanes scored twice in a span of 2:51 at the beginning of the third period and it proved to be enough.
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2. Marc-Andre Fleury has been terrific in his last two starts for the Blackhawks. He had a Goals Saved Above Average of 3.19 against St. Louis and Ottawa after having a -8.16 GSAA in his first four starts. He was turning in another fine performance until Carolina's game-winning goal, a 44-foot shot by Martin Necas that squeaked through. Those are the ones that keep you up at night.
3. The Blackhawks own one of the league's best power-play units. They had five opportunities and generated 14 shot attempts, four shots on goal and five scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, but couldn't capitalize on any of their chances. A rare off-night in that department.
4. The Blackhawks held the Hurricanes to zero high-danger chances at even strength in the first period. They allowed seven of them in the next two periods. Still not bad.
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5. Alex DeBrincat had zero shots on goal in Monday's 5-1 win over Ottawa. He followed that up on Wednesday with eight shot attempts (three on goal) and a pair of goals, upping his goal total to six on the season.
6. Patrick Kane picked up where he left off on Monday by recording a goal, primary assist and a game-high 13 shot attempts (eight on goal) in 25:01 of ice time.
7. The Hurricanes had 7:27 of offensive zone possession time, according to Spotlogiq. Their season average per game is 6:19. The Blackhawks had 5:58 of offensive zone possession time — 3:03 of that came in the third period alone.
8. The Blackhawks recorded 17 hits in the first period. They had only 10 in the next two periods. Their season average is 27.86, which ranks No. 4.
9. Seth Jones registered an assist on DeBrincat's goal, giving him nine points on the season. Only Adam Fox (11), Kevin Shattenkirk (11) and Tony DeAngelo (10) have more points among NHL defensemen.
10. Blackhawks radio analyst Troy Murray, who's battling cancer, made an appearance in the WGN booth during the first period. He later started flicking popcorn at a few media members. It was so good to see Troy back at the UC. Keep fighting, brother.
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