What Chicago Blackhawks must do to even series with Vegas

Duncan Keith had a simple, direct message after the Blackhawks dropped a 4-1 decision to Vegas in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series in Edmonton on Tuesday: It's time to loosen up a bit.

“At the end of the day, not many teams are giving us a chance to win,” the defenseman said. “Part of it is just going out and having fun, especially for younger guys. Everybody really.

“Enjoy the challenge. It's a great challenge, but it's also a great opportunity for our group.”

The Hawks didn't look terrible against the top-seeded Golden Knights, but they were clearly trying to play a low-risk game.

It's an understandable strategy, considering Vegas can roll four lines — one of which isn't afraid to plaster you into the boards — and has a group of blue-liners that defends hard and also contributes offensively.

Here's what the Hawks must do to even the series with a victory in Game 2 on Thursday:

Solve Lehner:

Robin Lehner had a gut feeling about how the Blachkawks would try to attack him. And the Vegas netminder ended up being hole-ly correct.

“I know a lot of their tendencies,” Lehner said after making 19 saves. “I know what they're trying to do on the power play, etc. …

“I knew that … they were going to mix it up a little bit on me. On all the really in-tight chances they tried to go five-hole. I kind of anticipated that before the game.”

It wasn't just the in-tight situations, though. In the first two periods, Kirby Dach, Calvin de Haan, Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews all tried beating Lehner low with shots from 25-60 feet out.

The only attempt that went into the net came when David Kampf scored short-handed in the second period. As Kampf released his shot, Lehner slammed his legs shut. Only this time, the puck went sailing over the big goalie's left shoulder.

It's time for the Hawks to mix it up and use the whole net.

Where's Kane, DeBrincat?

It's been a pleasant surprise for the Hawks that Matthew Highmore (2 goals), Olli Maatta (2), Slater Koekkoek (1) and David Kampf (1) have all scored.

But it's going to be awfully difficult for the Hawks to eliminate Vegas — much less win a game — if Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat don't contribute offensively. Both were quiet against Edmonton and remained so Tuesday.

Kane had just 4 shot attempts (1 on goal), while DeBrincat had 1, which was blocked.

Let's get physical:

With four 20-goal seasons under his belt, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Jonathan Marchessault is one of Vegas' most talented forwards. He also understands that playoff hockey requires a hard-nosed mentality and isn't afraid to mix it up when necessary.

“I don't like playing like a 5-9 guy out there. I like to play a little bigger,” said Marchessault, who went toe-to-toe with Jonathan Toews in the second period after Toews took exception to a hit on Adam Boqvist. “I tried to get the boys going in the second period. Little wrestle there with Toews, and I think after that our game turned around and we started producing offensively.

“It's playoff hockey. Everybody needs to contribute physically and it starts with a guy like me.”

The Hawks don't have a ton of size, but it wouldn't hurt if Connor Murphy, Slater Koekkoek, Calvin de Haan, Dylan Strome, Ryan Carpenter and even Brandon Saad made their presence known more often.

The Hawks also need to do a better job of getting to the middle of the offensive zone. Too many shot attempts came from the outside and there was rarely a player near Lehner to get in his eyes or put home a potential rebound.

Stay patient:

Coach Jeremy Colliton was pleased with a large portion of Tuesday's game, but he was irked with a seven-minute stretch early in the third period that helped lead to 2 goals by Reilly Smith.

“We started cheating,” Colliton said. “It's a 2-1 game and we started cheating to try and score. We're gonna have to be more patient in order to win this series.”

In the end, it was just one loss. Keith, for one, remains optimistic.

“We're right there,” he said. “It's one game. I don't think we're happy with the game. But know that we can be better. … And we're gonna have to be better.”

Hawks vs. Vegas (Best-of-seven)

Game 1: Golden Knights 4, Blackhawks 1

Game 2: Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights, 4:30 p.m. Thursday

Game 3: Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks, 7 p.m. Saturday

Game 4: Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks, 5:30 p.m. Sunday

Game 5*: Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights, Tuesday, TBA

Game 6*: Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks, Thursday, Aug. 20, TBA

Game 7*: Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights, Saturday, Aug. 22, TBA

* If necessary; First team listed is visiting team