Blackhawks fall to Blues in Winter Classic
ST. LOUIS - For all the talk about how much the Blackhawks love, love, love playing outside … in massive venues, in front of huge crowds and in front of millions of fans on TV … maybe it's time to just admit they'd rather avoid the Great Outdoors altogether.
For the fourth time in five games outside since 2009, the Hawks lost, with the latest setback coming to the arch-rival Blues, 4-1 at Busch Stadium on Monday in the 2017 Winter Classic.
"Especially coming into today we wanted to do a better job and put together a better performance in these outdoor games," Patrick Kane said. "For whatever reason we haven't really played too well in them. It's frustrating because it's on a national stage."
The Hawks scored 62 seconds in when Michal Kempny took a full swing at a bouncing puck and sent a one-hop "grounder" up and over the glove of Blues goalie Jake Allen, but that was all the offense they could muster.
St. Louis prevailed thanks to a second-period goal by Patrik Beglund and a pair of Vladimir Tarasenko tallies in the third period. Alexander Steen added an empty netter with 1:14 remaining.
The game - despite gloomy weather forecasts and all sorts of crazy contingency plans - went off without a hitch. Ice conditions were a bit iffy in warmups and during the first period, but things improved after that, making it easier to pass and play what amounted to a normal hockey game.
Temperature at puck drop was 46.7 degrees, the warmest of the five outdoor games the Hawks have played in since 2009. And other than a few sprinkles here and there, the rain did indeed stay away.
Despite pregame proclamations that goalies tend to struggle outside, the Blues' Jake Allen said he actually found it easier to pick up the puck. He made 22 saves, including a couple in which he looked like an infielder gloving pop flies down the first-base line.
"We were down in the batting cages yesterday throwing some balls around, so that might have helped," Allen quipped.
Tarasenko's game-winning goal came when he worked a give-and-go with Robby Fabbri after a Hawks turnover. Tarasenko got in deep on Corey Crawford, and on a pass attempt to the middle of the ice, the puck hit Hjalmarsson's skate and Crawford could do nothing but watch it glide over the line with 7:55 remaining.
Less than two minutes later, Tarasenko made it 3-1 when his laser from about 40 feet out flew over Crawford's left shoulder.
"He's a hungry offensive player," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock. "He's a guy that he sniffs out weaknesses or he sniffs out coverage issues and he jumps on it."
Afterward, Kane and Duncan Keith both said the Hawks seem to lose focus in these games and it might be a big reason for their .200 winning percentage outside.
"It's a lot of hype, and you want to put a good show on for your fans," Kane said. "Maybe sometimes we're thinking too much about that instead of just going out there and playing a simple game."
Said Keith: "I thought we tried to make too many plays and we got away from our game plan, and they came down and they scored."
The Hawks (23-12-5) are 1-4-1 in their last six games and know they need to take advantage of a four-game homestand that begins Thursday against Buffalo.
"We've lost five of our last six here, so it's probably time to start turning it around," Kane said.