Chicago Blackhawks lose to Vancouver Canucks 4-2

After winning two straight games, the Blackhawks short win streak came to an end on Thursday night as they fell to the Canucks.

After picking up road wins over the Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks traveled to Vancouver looking for their third straight win. Winning their third game in a row would only have been the second time since early December that feat would have been done.

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The game started off very well for the Blackhawks, as Nick Schmaltz got them on the board less than 15 minutes into the game. Everything was going the road teams’ way until halfway through the second period. Chicago allowed Vancouver to score twice in a five minute period. They appeared to be sluggish, and letting the Canucks get anything they wanted.

After a score by Alex DeBrincat late in the third period, it looked as if the Blackhawks would rally for their third straight win. However with just under three minutes left, Brendan Gaunce slapped in a wrister to make the score 4-2, which ended up being the final score.

Three stars of the night

Alex DeBrincat

His goal during the third period made the score 3-2, and also gave Blackhawks fans and players hopes that they could end up pulling out the much needed victory. Despite the team not finishing on the winning side, DeBrincat was clearly the main man on the attack tonight, as he finished with seven shots on goal. For the season, DeBrincat now has 33 points, 18 goals and 15 assists in only 51 games. For any player, let alone a rookie those numbers are outstanding. Even though this could potentially be a lost season for Chicago, at least they have a future stud on their hands.

Nick Schmaltz

Schmaltz’s goal late in the first period gave the Blackhawks their only lead of the game. Despite the loss, Schmaltz appeared to be on the few players on the ice who actually cared, and thought they could win the game even though they were down the majority of it. With that goal, Nick now has 37 points on the season, 14 goals and 23 assists.

Artem Anisimov

Finding a third star for the Blackhawks was a tough task for this game, as they only scored two goals. Typically a third star would be awarded to the goalie in a low-scoring contest, however Forsberg gave up four goals to the Canucks. Due to this we have chosen to award Anisimov with our third star. Even though he may not have scored in this game, Artem won three separate faceoffs that won the Blackhawks the puck.

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With the loss to the Canucks, the Blackhawks now have a record of 24-20-7 with 55 points. Currently they are five points out of the final playoff spot with 31 games to go. The playoffs are still in reach, but it will take a lot of work if Chicago wants to get back to the postseason.