Schmaltz scratched from Chicago Blackhawks loss to Oilers

After missing a game due to illness, Patrick Kane returned to action for the Chicago Blackhawks in their 4-0 loss Thursday night at Edmonton.

That news paled in comparison, however, to coach Joel Quenneville's shocking decision to scratch 22-year-old forward Nick Schmaltz.

It was Schmaltz who committed a costly first-period turnover in Vancouver on Wednesday that allowed Jake Virtanen to race the other way and tie things up at 1-1. The Hawks were controlling the flow to that point, but Virtanen's tally gave the Canucks life and they went on to score a pair of third-period goals en route to a 4-2 victory.

Schmaltz wasn't the only one at fault (Jonathan Toews had a costly turnover in the third period), but his stat sheet was awfully ugly: no shot attempts, no takeaways, no blocked shots and no hits in just more than 14 minutes of ice time.

"Performance-based. Expectations," Quenneville told reporters in Edmonton when asked why Schmaltz didn't play. "And you know, I just think that we need him to be an important player for us."

Many believe Schmaltz will be a top-six center on the Hawks for years to come, yet he's scored just once on 19 shots in 13 games after scoring 21 times last season.

John Hayden took Schmaltz's spot on the third line against Edmonton. He had no hits or shots on goal in 9:45.

The Oilers took a 2-0 lead on second-period goals by Drake Caggiula at 0:18 and Jason Garrison at 19:23. Caggiula then scored short-handed 6:49 into the third period, Alex Chiasson made it 4-0 at 10:38, and Edmonton (7-4-1) went on to win for the fourth time in five games.

Despite several prime chances in the second period, the Hawks (6-5-3) never solved goalie Mikko Koskinen (40 saves). The best looks included:

• Luke Johnson's in-close shot that hit Koskinen in the pads.

• Toews' failed short-handed breakaway attempt with about six minutes remaining.

• Brandon Manning and Alex DeBrincat both getting off shots on a short-handed 2-on-1, only to be stoned by Koskinen.

"We had all those odd-man situations there and we didn't capitalize," Quenneville said. "(Koskinen) was getting confidence as the game progressed. Not enough bodies at the net. He was seeing a lot of pucks. Big guy, but we didn't make it hard enough on him."

The Hawks have lost four straight and are at Calgary on Saturday to close out a three-game road trip.

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