Richardson spares Hawks from rough practice, expects team to learn from Kraken rout
After the drubbing the Blackhawks received from Seattle on Saturday, coach Luke Richardson told the media that his players better be ready to work at practice Monday.
The somewhat foreboding comment had us thinking that the Hawks would go through an energy-sapping 45- or 60-minute drill fest at Fifth Third Arena.
Instead, it was over in 30 minutes.
Not only that, but Richardson spared everyone the indignity of having to rewatch the Kraken cruise to an 8-5 victory at the United Center.
"I just said, 'You know what? We're not showing video," said Richardson, whose team closes out a seven-game homestand Tuesday against Buffalo. "We know that we didn't play well in the first period and the game was over then. ...
"We don't need to see it again. We want to take that feeling of unrest that we didn't enjoy it ... and put it into practice today ... and get ready for tomorrow's game. That was it."
For goaltender Petr Mrázek, who was pulled midway through the first period after allowing 4 goals on 5 shots, this was likely the worst performance of his career. Mrázek has yielded 7 regulation goals twice since entering the league 10 years ago, but Saturday was a completely different level of ugh.
Like most goalies, Mrázek quickly flushed it.
"Every goalie in the league should have this mentality," said Mrázek, whose save percentage fell to .875 and goals-against average swelled to 4.26. "That's how it is. It's just move on. The game's over, it's in the past and we're looking forward."
If there's one goal Mrázek wants back, it was Matty Beniers' at 9:30 of the first period. Beniers unleashed a long shot from just inside the blue line and it sailed past a scrunched-down Mrázek.
"I looked on the far side, then I lost it in the traffic," Mrázek said. "But you're chasing the puck from the start of the game. You don't see any shots and then every puck goes in. ...
"I could have been a little more aggressive on the short side."
Saturday's loss officially ended the first half of the season for the Hawks, who are 11-26-4. That means they're on a 22-win, 52-point pace, which would easily be their worst total in an 82-game season. (The 2003-04 team finished with 59 points).
While Richardson still goes into every contest expecting to win, he's not blind to the limitations of his roster. No matter how many times the Hawks win in the final 41 games, the rookie coach expects his players to stick together, prepare the right way and form championship habits.
Also, continue to ask questions - even if they seem dumb.
"That's what I thought we needed in practice," Richardson said. "Just go over some D-zone (stuff). ... Then after the group questions, a couple guys stayed ... and they had a few more questions.
"It's good. It got a couple guys talking and they go away talking, and another guy stays, asks more questions. ... A lot of times - even in classrooms - people are afraid to put their hands up because they don't want to look like they don't know. But then that's the worst scenario.
"Then you don't know and you didn't ask the question, so you still don't know. ... Just one question probably answers 10 questions, because other people are thinking the same thing."