Chicago Blackhawks fall 3-2 in overtime
Ever since Joel Quenneville has taken over as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, his team has feasted on opponents at the United Center.
But this season — one in which they are starving for points — the Hawks haven't been able to take advantage of home cooking and it's left a big pit in their stomachs.
“Yeah, really disappointing,” said Connor Murphy after the Hawks dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Toronto at the UC on Wednesday night. “There's not much else to be said other than, yeah, disappointing.”
The Hawks are one of just eight teams with double-digit losses at home. Of those, only St. Louis would qualify for the playoffs if they started today.
The Hawks fell to 22-19-7 overall and went a wretched 1-4-1 in their last six games, all of which came in front of their fans.
“It was a tough homestand when you look at it points-wise,” Quenneville said. “(These) games were valuable as far as keeping us in the race, and now we put ourselves in a tremendous hole.”
Brent Seabrook and Nick Schmaltz scored the Hawks' goals, with Schmaltz's tying the game at 7:55 of the third period.
Schmaltz lost the opening faceoff of overtime and couldn't get back in time as William Nylander flew in on goalie Jeff Glass. Duncan Keith was forced to hook Nylander on the breakaway, and the referees awarded the Maple Leafs' forward a penalty shot just six seconds into extra time.
Nylander converted when he brought the puck to his backhand and flipped it up and over Glass to the blocker side.
With the opening possession being so critical in OT, one has to wonder if Schmaltz — who has won just 41.5 percent of his faceoffs — is the right player to send out to begin things.
“Him and Kaner, they've had some success starting overtime since they've been together,” said Quenneville, who added that Nylander's rush could have been defended better in the first place.
Glass started a second straight game and turned away 33 shots.
The Hawks averaged 25.8 wins and 56.8 points at the United Center over the past four seasons. This season they are 12-10-3, which is a 20-win, 44-point pace. The last time they amassed 45 or fewer came when the 2006-07 team managed just 38 by going 17-20-4.
Only Schmaltz and Murphy addressed the media in a deathly quiet dressing room after the loss.
“Guys are competitors, Guys are mad,” Murphy said. “They don't want to lose in any way. Playoffs are on guys' minds so much now, and I think that can be a double-edged sword.
“(We want) it so bad that guys maybe slip up at the odd time. … We talk about having fun and making sure that you remember we're the Blackhawks. It doesn't get much better than this.
“And if we play with pride and play together, things are going to go our way.”
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Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings, 6:30 p.m.
TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: The Hawks just lost to Detroit 4-0 on Jan. 14 as Petr Mrazek stopped 27 shots. Mrazek, who backs up Jimmy Howard, then posted another shutout eight days later at New Jersey. He earned another start against the Flyers on Tuesday, a game the Red Wings lost 3-2 in overtime. ... Anthony Mantha leads Detroit with 15 goals, with Gustav Nyquist close behind with 14. ... The Red Wings will be without Justin Abdelkader and possibly defenseman Trevor Daley. Both are dealing with lower-body injuries.
Next: Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, 7 p.m. Tuesday
— John Dietz