10 observations: Blackhawks blow third-period lead in loss to Wild

10 observations: Hawks blow third-period lead in loss to Wild originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Blackhawks blew a third-period lead in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild at the United Center on Monday.

Here are 10 observations from the loss.

1. The Blackhawks recorded 83 shot attempts, which was a new season-high. Their previous best was 69. They also recorded 41 shots on goal. This was one of the best all-around games of the season for the Blackhawks, and it ended with a regulation loss. Ouch.

2. This game got really chippy in the third period, highlighted by the fight between Marcus Foligno and Andreas Englund. It was a heavyweight tilt. I didn't like Foligno's cheap punch though when Englund was laying on the ice after the take-down. Foligno then took Englund's helmet, flashed it in his face and threw it. He was immediately ejected for it, but it injected some life into the Wild, who scored a shorthanded goal on Foligno's penalty to tie the game up at 2-2 and then the go-ahead goal minutes later.

3. Jonathan Toews thought he put the Blackhawks ahead 3-1 in the third period but the officials huddled up and overturned the ruling. They felt the Wild gained possession of the puck on the delayed penalty, which should have ended the play. If it was the Jon Merrill in front, I don't think that qualified as possession. He barely touched in while falling down. Tough swing.

4. With the No. 3 seed in the Central Division locked up, Jonas Brodin, Kirill Kaprizov, Jared Spurgeon and Mats Zuccarello did not play for the Wild to rest up for the playoffs. Selke Trophy candidate Joel Eriksson Ek also missed the game because of an injury along with Matt Dumba. Their absences definitely showed. The Wild looked discombobulated and out of sync.

5. Buddy Robinson was recalled from Rockford and slid into a second-line role with Andreas Athanasiou and Anders Bjork. And that line was absolutely lethal. When the three of them were on the ice together, the Blackhawks led 20-0 in shot attempts, 9-0 in shots on goal, 9-0 in scoring chances and 5-0 in high-danger chances through two periods, per Natural Stat Trick. My goodness.

6. The other line that had a solid night was the trio of Joey Anderson, Boris Katchouk and Juhar Khaira. They had a goal taken away from them on Saturday but the one they scored in this one counted. It originally looked like Khaira poked the puck into the net but the in-arena camera showed Anderson scooping it past Filip Gustavsson for his sixth of the season.

7. I know we've been saying it for a while now, but this is probably Toews' last week with the Blackhawks and Thursday's season finale at the United Center could be an emotional one for everyone involved. Toews said he's just "trying to be present and enjoy everything." I thought he played with some jump in this game despite the -4 rating. I imagine that will be the case against Philadelphia, too.

8. Alex Stalock was on track have a double-digit win total for just the fourth time in his NHL career and had it ripped away from him. Earlier in the day, he was named the Blackhawks' nominee for the 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, as voted upon by the Chicago chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The award is annually given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. I can't think of a more deserving candidate than Stalock.

9. Wyatt Kaiser showed off some serious skill on this play in the second period. I think he's got Top 4 defenseman upside. He does not lack confidence. He also finished with five shots on goal and 20:33 of ice time, which ranked third on the team.

10. The Blackhawks reassigned Lukas Reichel and Alex Vlasic to Rockford before the game, as expected, to assist the AHL playoff push. The IceHogs have four games left and are trying to stave off the Chicago Wolves, who are one point behind them for the final spot in the division. The two teams square off in Rockford on Tuesday. Massive matchup.

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