Five takeaways from the Blackhawks' overtime loss against the Kings
Petr Mrázek hasn't missed a beat
Mrázek being placed on injured reserve with a groin injury was just the tip of the iceberg for the Blackhawks' goaltending situation. Chicago got to a point where fifth-string goalie Dylan Wells was signed and made his NHL debut. Last night, Mrázek made his return against the LA Kings, and he made it clear that he was ready to go.
In his first game back, Mrázek was able to stop 31 of 33 shots on goal, a lot of which were high-danger and seemingly never-ending. Although the Blackhawks lost in overtime, the main reason they made it that far was Mrázek's performance between the pipes.
Jonathan Toews is good at hockey
Last season Toews had the least amount of points of his career, with 37 (12G, 25A) in 71 games. This season he has 10 points (7G, 3A) in 12 games so far, and he doesn't look like he's slowing down anytime soon. Toews has been one of the most dependable players on the team; he won 18 of 21 faceoffs and picked up an assist from Taylor Raddysh's powerplay goal.
Toews is playing his heart out in what could be his last season with the Blackhawks. Whether he requests a trade or finishes out the season in Chicago is anyone's guess, but there's no denying his speed and consistency.
Where is Patrick Kane?
Although Kane has 10 points (2G, 8A) in 13 games, there isn't much to say about the way he played last night. He hasn't scored since Oct. 27 against the Oilers and only has two assists in the last six games. Kane is due to score, and the only thing to do is wait and see what happens Saturday night against the Ducks.
Alec Regula played a 4:11 shift
For the final minutes of the second period, Regula and Caleb Jones played nonstop; the Blackhawks weren't able to get the puck out of the defensive zone without icing it. Jones was on the ice for 3:58 but was able to change out with Connor Murphy with less than a minute on the clock. The longer he was out there, the more Regula attempted to block shots with his body by collapsing in front of the net.
If anyone had any doubts about Regula, his effort during this shift as well as the entire game might silence them. The way he powered through should give fans all the more reason to believe in his future here on the Blackhawks.
Getting scored on with 1.4 seconds left is heartbreaking
With all of the effort the Blackhawks put in to stay in the game, there's something about losing with only a second left that makes it that much worse. Mrázek was just as much of a brick wall as Jonathan Quick was; if he's able to remain healthy and consistent, Chicago will have a good chance to win a lot more hockey games.
| POLL | ||
Who's going to score first against the Ducks tomorrow night? | ||
| Patrick Kane | 38 | 31.1 % |
| Jonathan Toews | 24 | 19.7 % |
| Max Domi | 46 | 37.7 % |
| Alec Regula | 14 | 11.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
