Hawks hang tough against Hurricanes, but fall 4-3 in shootout
At first, it looked like we were in for a bloodbath at the United Center on Tuesday.
Carolina, one of the top teams in the league and a legit Stanley Cup contender, came out firing on all cylinders and could have had 3, 4 or even 5 goals in the first four minutes.
Fortunately for the Blackhawks, the puck bounced the right way and Kevin Lankinen came up with a few key saves to keep his team alive.
In the end, the Hawks battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits and eventually lost 4-3 in a shootout when Andrei Svechnikov scored on Carolina's third attempt. Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome all failed to convert for the Hawks (3-4-4).
Carolina, which was able to remove Teuvo Teravainen, Warren Foegele and D-man Jaccob Slavin from COVID-19 protocol, improved to 6-1-0. Foegele had a goal and an assist, while Slavin played nearly 25 minutes.
"We knew coming in what a test it was going to be," said coach Jeremy Colliton. "I mean they were missing however many guys ... and when you watch the (games) they looked dynamite. And then they're adding all these guys from their COVID list.
"So big challenge and for the most part we answered the bell."
Philipp Kurashev, Kane and Strome scored for the Hawks, and Lankinen finished with 38 saves. DeBrincat, also activated from COVID-19 protocol, notched a pair of assists. The second went to Strome and tied the game 3-3 with 6:39 remaining.
"I had some consistent shifts in the first period, which was nice," said DeBrincat, who also took 4 shots on goal in 22 minutes. "I was able to catch my wind and play well. There was no problems there."
Said Colliton: "You can't ask for much more after being off the ice for so many days. He was skating and he made plays; he won battles. He's a very important player for us."
Carolina took a 2-0 lead on goals by Andrei Svechnikov and Foegele at 3:51 and 14:46 of the first period.
The Hawks made it 2-1 on a power-play tally from Kurashev at 17:58 of the first period, then tied it on Kane's goal at 19:42.
Kane's score, his fifth, came after a forechecking DeBrincat alertly deflected a pass attempt from Slavin. The puck bounced right to Kane, who skated into the middle of the offensive zone, waited for the right moment and zipped a wrist shot that found its mark.
Lankinen remained rock solid in net and especially in the third period when he stopped Svechnikov on two Grade-A chances. Eight of Lankinen's saves came in the final 4:36 of regulation and another 5 came in OT.
"Seems like when we're getting dominated, he's always there to shut the door," DeBrincat said. "It's nice to have goalies that have your back when you turn over a puck or have a little defensive breakdown."
Dominik Kubalik (2) and Pius Suter (1) had assists, Nikita Zadorov had 8 hits and Connor Murphy had 6 blocks.
After the teams meet in a rematch Thursday, the Hawks will play back-to-back games at Dallas on Sunday and Tuesday.