10 observations: Blackhawks suffer fifth straight loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Monday at PNC Arena.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
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1. The Blackhawks dropped their fifth straight game (0-4-1) and are officially eliminated from postseason contention. It's the third time in the last four seasons they've missed out on the playoffs.
2. Head coach Jeremy Colliton changed up all four lines and the three defensive pairings for this game. Here's what they looked like:
- First line: Philipp Kurashev — Pius Suter — Patrick Kane
- Second line: Alex DeBrincat — Kirby Dach — Dominik Kubalik
- Third line: Vinnie Hinostroza — Dylan Strome — Adam Gaudette
- Fourth line: Mike Hardman — David Kampf — Brandon Hagel
- First pairing: Wyatt Kalynuk — Connor Murphy
- Second pairing: Duncan Keith — Ian Mitchell
- Third pairing: Nikita Zadorov — Nicolas Beaudin
3. At the halfway mark of the contest, the Hurricanes had four goals and 18 shots on net. The Blackhawks had zero goals and only six shots. It was a very one-sided first half.
4. Malcolm Subban started between the pipes and gave up four goals on 18 shots, although it's difficult to fault him for any of the goals aside from the first one when Dougie Hamilton's shot from below the goal line went off his stick and in.
5. Collin Delia, who served as the backup, replaced Subban after the fourth goal at the 9:52 mark of the second period. It was his first NHL action since Jan. 17 and he was absolutely terrific in relief, stopping all 19 shots he faced. His best stop came on a Martin Necas breakaway in the middle frame.
6. During 5-on-5 action, the Hurricanes led the Blackhawks in scoring chances (30-13) and high-danger chances (20-6), according to Natural Stat Trick. In the second period alone, the Hurricanes generated 11 high-danger chances to Chicago's two.
7. Before the game, Mitchell talked about trying to get his swagger back by being more aggressive and making more of an impact on the ice. He did that on Monday by scoring his third goal of the season and his first since Feb. 19. That was much-needed for his confidence.
8. Alex DeBrincat scored for the third straight game and increased his goal total to 26 on the season. In a normal 82-game season, he would be on pace to finish with 44 goals, which would be a new career-high; his personal best is 41, set during the 2018-19 campaign.
9. The Hurricanes improved to 8-0-3 during their 11-game point streak and have killed off 30 of 33 penalties for a success rate of 90.9 percent over that span. They went 3-for-3 against the Blackhawks on Monday.
10. The Hurricanes rank No. 2 in the NHL with a faceoff win percentage of 53.7. The Blackhawks rank No. 28 with a win percentage of 46.8. The Hurricanes got the better of the Blackhawks in this game, winning 33 of 55 draws for a win percentage of 60.0.
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