Connor Murphy returned to the lineup for the first time since the Winter Classic on January 1st, as the Chicago Blackhawks faced the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon. Petr Mrázek got the start in goal for Chicago, who scratched Nolan Allan, Ethan Del Mastro, and Philipp Kurashev for the matchup.

Game Summary

The Blackhawks began the game with a goal seven seconds into the first period, as Landon Slaggert tucked a beautiful five-hole goal behind Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a great way to start the game, but it must have infuriated the Panthers.

The next shift, Aleksander Barkov’s line hemmed in Connor Bedard‘s line for several shots on goal. Somehow, thanks to Mrázek and a hit post, Chicago held the lead.

Five minutes into the game, after a Panthers power play, shots were 8-1. Then, 5:28 into the period, Johan Gadjovich poked a loose puck behind Mrázek. The Hawks challenged for goaltender interference and lost. As a result, they’d have to kill off another penalty.

Nine minutes into the game, shots were 14-2, shot attempts were 30-2, and the Panthers had a 9-1 scoring-chance advantage.

Sam Reinhart gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead 10:19 into the frame, and the game already felt over. The Hawks spent the first 10 minutes of the game holding on for dear life. How could they survive, let alone keep it close, for the next 50?

The Hawks would get their first power play at the eleven-minute mark after Gadjovich boarded Louis Crevier (who would not return for the second period after the hit). The Hawks were even outshot 1-0 on the man advantage.

Somehow, despite being out shot-attempted 47-9 in the period, the Hawks only trailed 2-1 after the first.

The Hawks had a better start to the second period, getting out to a 6-1 shot advantage through the first four minutes, where they’d head to their second power play. For the second consecutive time, they’d finish the man advantage without a shot on goal.

Florida would get a four-minute power play 12:06 into the period after Slaggert dragged his stick across the face of Barkov and drew blood. Thirty-two seconds later, Evan Rodrigues held Dickinson, resulting in two minutes of four-on-four hockey.

Shortly after the four-on-four expired, the Panthers took a 3-1 lead after Matthew Tkachuk scored his 17th goal on the power play.

The Hawks’ second period was much better, as they were merely outshot 14-12, but all good vibes were erased 10 seconds into the third, as Rodrigues gave the Panthers a 4-1 lead.

Florida would extend their lead to 5-1 when Connor Verhaeghe buried a power-play goal at 9:37.

Panthers win 5-1.

Jay’s Final Thoughts

• I don’t have to tell you how disappointing it is that Allan and Del Mastro sat in this game, but it is what it is now. I trust Anders Sorensen’s eye for development and what’s best for young players despite my desire to see as many of them in the lineup as possible, and while GM Kyle Davidson hasn’t meddled in lineups as far as I know, I wonder if the team is trying to build up the trade value of certain vets ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.

• Can we get a Tkachuk in Chicago? Literally, any Tkachuk will do—even 52-year-old Keith. I’ll take him.

• Sorensen made another adjustment I liked for the second period, putting Bedard on a line with Slaggert and Ryan Donato. The Frank Nazar-Bedard-Tyler Bertuzzi line was caved in by a superior team that could dictate matchups. With more defensively capable wingers, Bedard could possess the puck more frequently.

• ABC intermission analysts Mark Messier and PK Subban shared their thoughts on Bedard’s defense on Reinhart’s first-period goal. “He’s soft on his stick,” Messier said. “The excuses for a young player are over now. He has to be better than that. Sure enough, they get a power play and who goes right onto the ice? Bedard. There’s no quicker way to destroy the morale of a team than to have players that don’t earn their ice time. There has to be consequences, and if there’s not, it will destroy the morale of the team.”
  
  Subban continued, “You go to Philly, you look at John Tortorella and what he’s doing with Matvei Michkov. [He’s] tough on him. Matvei Michkov is going to be better off for that. It’s tough becoming a 200 foot player when you’re a skilled player. Crosby had to do it. MacKinnon had to do it. McDavid had to do it. Connor Bedard’s going to have to do it, too. It’s going to take him some time, but you’ve got to buy in. That’s winning hockey.”
  
  They’re not wrong. He must be stronger on that puck and can’t be held without consequences because his name is Connor Bedard. However, he’s been the one of team’s most consistent players over the last 30 games. Messier and Subban glossed over the fact that Murph and TJ Brodie had wide-open chances to clear pucks and failed on the same shift.
  
  Yes, there need to be consequences for young players…just as there need to be consequences for veteran players.
  
  After the game, Sorensen was asked about Messier and Subban’s comments. “We all had a tough game,” he responded, not taking the bait. “I don’t think it was just him. It was a group thing and they were kind of all over us there, and we had a hard time finding any space.”
  

• Slaggert should not play another game in Rockford. He has two goals in three games since his recall, and has been impressive in all ends of the ice. His contract extension kicks in next year, and is a one-way NHL deal. Why wait? He plays responsibly, plays with speed, and can put the puck in the back of the net. “I think he clears a lot of space,” Sorensen said after the game. “A lot of good stuff on the forecheck and retrieving pucks. And, again, the second and third effort to win those pucks are crucial and he does a lot of that.”
  
• During the third-period, ABC showed a montage of Bedard and the chances and looks he was creating. It perfectly illustrated how it’s time to get him some REAL help. Not a solid player. Not a promising prospect, but an All-Star-level linemate. If it’s not done by this offseason, it’s a failure.
  
  I’d like to see the Hawks try to pry Elias Pettersson away from Vancouver before the trade deadline. If they can’t get that done, they should do everything they can to land Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner or even Brock Boeser as free-agents.

Nuggets and Timbits

• Slaggert’s goal seven seconds into the first was the fastest scored to start a game in Blackhawk history. Brent Sutter scored eight seconds into a game in Vancouver on February 5, 1995. Denis Savard scored four seconds into a period in a game versus Hartford on January 12, 1986.

• The Hawks’ power play was 0-for-3 with one shot on goal. When you’re overmatched talent-wise, special teams can be an equalizer. Not today.

• In his return to the lineup, Murphy played 23:30 and was a minus-3 with a shot, three blocked shots, and two giveaways.

• Saturday’s win was the 900th of Panthers coach Paul Maurice’s career.