Five takeaways: Blackhawks get shutout by Hurricanes
Maybe the lines are the problem
While it's important to give some players a fair, fighting chance on the top lines, if something isn't broken then don't fix it. Since switching Phillip Kurashev onto the first line with Max Domi and Patrick Kane, it hasn't been producing as much as it was when Andreas Athanasiou was the left wing. The Athanasiou, Jonathan Toews and Taylor Raddysh line hasn't come across any problems, but that success may just come from Toews' winning the majority of his faceoffs.
The lines will likely change as soon as Tyler Johnson recovers from his ankle injury, which shouldn't be too far off. As for right now, it's likely Kurashev will be given a few more chances to perform on the wing with Kane.
Caleb Jones, Alec Regula and Filip Roos
The defensive pairing that cycles between Jones, Regula and Roos has a lot of potential. Regula has put up a solid performance with his speed and blocks, and his 4:11 shift against the Kings put his endurance on display. Roos has one goal and two assists through nine games played; while he doesn't necessarily stand out, he manages to stay solid when he's on the ice.
When it comes to Jones, he consistently turns over the puck and he isn't ever the fastest skater on the ice. One of Carolina's goals came from him trying to get the puck out of the zone, only to have it intercepted. If it were possible, the third pairing would likely see more success if it consisted of Regula and Roos, with Jones placed somewhere else.
Petr Mrázek put up a good fight
Even though the Hurricanes scored three goals, Mrázek still saved 29 of 32 shots with a .906 save percentage. Although the Blackhawks couldn't break through, Mrázek's effort still kept them in the game. Once more, if he's able to stay healthy, then the Blackhawks will have solid goaltending through the season.
Once again, where is Patrick Kane?
Kane hasn't scored in the past eight games; he picked up two assists against the Ducks on Saturday night, but that's the most he's done in the past two weeks. It's unclear whether he's hit a rough patch this season or lost his motivation to play in Chicago. Either way, Kane is due to score and the only thing there is to do is watch.
This is the third time getting shut out this season
The Carolina Hurricanes are a good hockey team, and that's what it all boils down to; with a group of players that have a lot of synergies, it wasn't going to be an easy game for Chicago. Between the questionable goal in the first and Jones's terrible turnover that Andrei Svechnikov, the Blackhawks didn't seem to be in the right mindset to win the game.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 16 | 30 ANSWERS Five takeaways: Blackhawks get shutout by Hurricanes Do you think Patrick Kane will score against the Blues? | ||
| Heck yeah! | 16 | 53.3 % |
| No... | 14 | 46.7 % |
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