The Chicago Blackhawks fell in their home opener to the San Jose Sharks but one player, in particular, stood out in a not so great game.
The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated in their home opener by the San Jose Sharks. They were able to have the lead four different times in this game but the Sharks were able to tie it up all four times. Then they were able to make it 5-4 and despite having a late power-play chance, they weren’t able to get things knotted up and ultimately fell to an 0-2-0 record.
The defense wasn’t that good as the Sharks were able to control play at times and got up to 34 shots through on Corey Crawford. The Hawks were able to generate some great chances of their own as they pumped out 30 shots on San Jose goalie Aaron Dell and had the four goals themselves. That is going to be the recipe for the Blackhawks this season but they still need to be better in their own end.
Another area of concern, and has been for a couple of years now, is the penalty kill. The Blackhawks gave up two power-play goals to the Sharks on three chances which are not good. They need to be better if they are going to win hockey games, especially when they aren’t able to muster up a power-play goal themselves (0/2).
One player who was extremely noticeable was Andrew Shaw. He was the second star of the game in a losing effort as he chipped in two goals for Chicago. He brought that fire and drive that this team lacks at times and showed it each time he scored. The Blackhawks have a lot of top-end scoring in their lineup so getting some good production from Shaw would go a long way. They also need him to keep up his good play in all three zones and continue to get under the skin of the opposition’s best players.
An interesting fact about this game is that Patrick Marleau came back to the NHL at 40 years old after being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes by the Toronto Maple Leafs and ultimately bought out. He signed with the San Jose Sharks who he played for 1493 games just a few days ago for $700,000. He scored two goals in this game in his return to the Sharks which is remarkable. He is the first 40+-year-old player with a multi-goal game against the Blackhawks in Chicago since Gordie Howe did it in 1979 at 51 years old.
The Blackhawks have six more games in their seven-game homestand to try and get their game in check. It starts with the Winnipeg Jets at the United Center on Saturday night. The Jets present an interesting opportunity that we will get into later. One thing that is for sure, is that the Blackhawks are going to need to be much better on special teams and in the defensive zone as the season goes on.