Chicago Blackhawks: Wild game ends in defeat vs. Vancouver

The Chicago Blackhawks winning streak came to an end after a wild offensive game against the Vancouver Canucks ended in defeat.

The Chicago Blackhawks came into 2020 on a winning streak. They had one more road game to get through to begin the year against the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver is a good hockey team but they are very young and thus beatable. Chicago knew that if they played their game they would have a chance to win. It just didn’t end up happening for them. They played their usual run and gun style but Vancouver had the ability to match it and one-up them.

The Canucks and Blackhawks each had leads blown in this one because neither team was as committed to team defense as you need to be. The Blackhawks have a lot of key injuries right now and that could have played a hand in it as well. Vancouver went on to win the game 7-5. Robin Lehner let up six goals despite playing pretty well. There were a lot of fluky goals off bodies and sticks for both sides. The loss ended a personal six-game winning streak for Lehner. Most people who watch a lot of hockey would admit that it was a weird game.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane both had a really good game. The Blackhawks obviously rely on these two to produce in order to win but last night was one of those rare occasions that they did and still lost. It was the 100th time that each of them scored a goal for Chicago in the same game. Kane is only 9 points away from 1000 in his career. That should be coming within the next few weeks for sure so that is definitely something to look forward to.

If the Blackhawks can continue to get the offense the way that they’re capable of getting and the defense gets a little tighter they should get back in the win column. This loss dropped them to NHL .500 at 18-18-6. They have been much better on the road than at home this season as this loss made it two wins out of three on this road trip. If they can get that level of play when they are at home they could creep closer and closer to the playoffs. They remain only five points out despite being in last in the Central Division.

The Blackhawks have a chance to right the ship at home as they are going back to Chicago for a four-game homestand. No team in the NHL is easy to play against but all four games are against teams currently below the playoff line. It begins against the team’s longest-running rival in the Detroit Red Wings. It should be a really fun way to begin the homestand for the Blackhawks as they try to get back on track.