I’m obligated to speak in regards to the Chicago Blackhawks at the moment. Final night time was one more begin to a recreation the place the Blackhawks obtained the doorways blown off of them and had no response. No life. No inspiration. No solutions. Once more. What number of occasions do we’ve got to see this script, a script we noticed all final season and lots of occasions the season earlier than, earlier than the group can determine what the widespread denominator is? This Blackhawks staff is just too gifted and too skilled to look THIS dangerous, persistently.
• Marc-André Fleury made one other return to Pittsburgh final night time. Beginning in opposition to the Penguins, a staff he helped rebuild to prominence within the first portion of his profession, Fleury deserved so significantly better from his latest staff.
🌸 within the Metal Metropolis pic.twitter.com/XfzvD9dv3q
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 16, 2021
• As a substitute, what he obtained was an uninspired begin, a shelling, and the hook.
• After giving up the primary three objectives of the season in beneath ten minutes in opposition to the Avalanche, and giving up the primary objective of the sport in opposition to the Devils in 17 seconds, the Blackhawk set a brand new low-bar with the opening objective in opposition to the Penguins coming simply 15 seconds into the sport.
It is an amazing day while you rating whereas the ‘beginning strains’ are nonetheless scrolling on the TV display 👏 pic.twitter.com/4bUhQBstAu
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 16, 2021
• 15 f-king seconds.
Teddy Blueger scored the primary of 5 @penguins objectives simply 15 seconds into the sport, the quickest to begin a house opener since Calgary’s Elias Lindholm (0:12) on Oct. 6, 2018. #NHLFaceOff #NHLStats: https://t.co/npIuroWidG pic.twitter.com/kG0CrUqMzr
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 17, 2021
• The response? Turnovers, unsustained offense, odd-man rushes, and miscommunication.
Drew O’Connor will get his first NHL objective off the horrific Fleury turnover! 2-0 Penguins!#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/n3tdmchvfa
— Hockey Each day 365 (@HockeyDaily365) October 16, 2021
• 2-0 similar to that. After giving up three objectives to the Avs within the first ten minutes, the Blackhawks determined that wasn’t dangerous sufficient. They have been down 4-0 within the first 11:25 of the primary interval. Marc-André Fleury was pulled and the sport was over.
The @penguins scored 5 objectives, together with 4 within the opening 11:25 of the primary interval, to earn a win of their house opener. #NHLFaceOff #NHLStats: https://t.co/npIuroWidG pic.twitter.com/TwhjAweiAq
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 17, 2021
• One other night time the place the Blackhawks have been popping out of the gate having tripped over their very own skates all the best way down the tunnel with out determining that somebody had tied their laces collectively. Only for the hell of it too, somebody put tape on the skate blades so the Blackhawks may fall flat on their face once more as soon as they stepped on the ice. It was a cavalcade of embarrassment for a staff that’s imagined to contend for the playoffs. Playoffs? Are you kidding me?
• Not less than they know they sucked for Fleury.
Connor Murphy: “Poor Flower. … He deserves lots higher from us.”
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 17, 2021
• Look, skilled athletes don’t develop into skilled athletes with out some type of inner motivation and sense of particular person preparedness for what they need to do in practices and in video games. But it surely’s not all on the athletes to arrange themselves. If that was the case, what could be the aim of coaches?
• The sluggish begins, the uninspired play, the confusion on the ice, these issues come all the way down to teaching. And when groups are taking part in poorly and never residing as much as expectations, the primary and almost definitely change to be made will inevitably be the coach.
“Whenever you quit these early objectives, it is arduous on the boldness. Tonight particularly, [for] a couple of of our younger guys, once we went down early, after it taking place a few occasions already, it affected them.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 17, 2021
• Joel Quenneville took over for Denis Savard again in 2008 after Savard had a 65-66-16 file as a head coach. Jeremy Colliton took over for Joel Quenneville in 2018 after the Blackhawks obtained off to a 6-6-3 begin after lacking the playoffs the season prior. Colliton has an 86-85-25 file as the top coach of the Blackhawks, having missed the postseason twice, 3 times should you don’t depend the NHL increasing the postseason in 2020 to accommodate Chicago and Montreal.
• So what extra do we have to see earlier than the following change is made? Is that this the primary time that Colliton is having a full offseason, full coaching camp, and full 82-game schedule forward of him? Sure. Does that change the truth that the Blackhawks have been the identical iteration of the identical staff regardless of who has been taking part in for them since he took over? No. Savard and Colliton’s information are on the identical trajectory and Savard had significantly much less to work with in his time as head coach of the Blackhawks. So what now? What extra must occur?
• Patrick Kane continued to be a shiny spot for Chicago to start the season. Even when he appears to be like not like “himself,” Kane nonetheless has a team-leading 4 factors by means of the primary three video games. Including a powerplay objective within the second interval to cease a number of the bleeding final night time.
Patrick Kane scores his first objective of the season on the ability play after his shot went off Chad Ruhwedel and in. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/DDelcCqXHW
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 17, 2021
• Kane spoke after the sport, expressing the frustration he and the remainder of the staff felt for his or her efficiency in entrance of Marc-André Fleury.
Patrick Kane: “Clearly we really feel dangerous leaving Flower out to dry, particularly him coming again to Pittsburgh. To carry out like that in entrance of him within the first interval is unacceptable.” #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 17, 2021
• I might not blame Fleury for reconsidering his resolution to play this season with Chicago. In his two begins with the Blackhawks, he has seen approach an excessive amount of motion in his personal finish, and never sufficient on the opposite facet of the ice from him.
• There was not sufficient from the Blackhawks to proper the ship final night time. However Kane believes they nonetheless can try this for the 2021-22 season.
“I don’t need to say the strain’s constructing. But when we loosen up, play our recreation, have a look at our staff — we’ve got lots higher staff than we’ve had the previous couple years — we should always have plenty of success.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 17, 2021
• For some cause, I don’t consider him.
• Kane was one of many first of the foremost veterans to talk out in assist of Jeremy Colliton when he took over the Blackhawks. Kane has had some unimaginable seasons beneath Colliton and has been then participant behind the wheel of the Blackhawks’ successes in that point. I don’t consider that he’s the one one, however what I do consider from what I’m seeing on the ice and what I discover from the bench, is that there can’t be collective belief in Colliton from the gamers.
• Whenever you don’t maintain the locker room, what do you maintain as a coach? I may very well be incorrect, however I’ve seen sufficient hockey and hockey participant physique language to know when guys are “purchased in” or not. I don’t see it from these Blackhawks.
• One other shiny spot for the Blackhawks this season has been Kirby Dach. He obtained on the board once more final night time, his second objective in as many video games.
DACHHHHHHH pic.twitter.com/7pKrn2djOi
— Blackhawks Discuss (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 17, 2021
• Dach is a part of the way forward for the Blackhawks. He was paired with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane final night time, a transfer that ought to have been made in coaching camp. I need to see that trio on a line the remainder of the season. Deal with Dach and DeBrincat, two of your cornerstones, like cornerstones.
• I flip to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic to summarize extra of the angst behind what we have been instructed these Blackhawks could be and what they’ve proven us to date by means of three video games.
This season was imagined to be totally different. As a substitute, it has been extra of the identical.
Due to their unacceptable begin(s), the Blackhawks have reached a disaster level after simply three video games.
And all choices are on the desk.
My column from Pittsburgh: https://t.co/5kOx7VYKCA
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 17, 2021
• “It’S juSt OnE GaMe.”
After three video games, the Blackhawks have trailed for 157 of 181 minutes — 87.1% of the season. Even for a small pattern dimension, that is just a little alarming.
Not solely that, however they’ve trailed by 2+ objectives for 65.3% of the ice time — one other eye-opening statistic. Yikes! https://t.co/iJXe3yp0t9
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) October 17, 2021
• This staff STINKS and one thing wants to vary.
• Now.
The #Blackhawks must be working beneath new administration and a whole new teaching workers Monday morning.
— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) October 17, 2021
• There must be a change of tradition within the group in many various methods. The upper-ups for the Blackhawks have to go for his or her administration of the staff and their troubles off the ice with the lawsuits in opposition to the staff which might be at present being investigated. It comes with a change in your Hockey Operations division and with Stan Bowman. It comes with a change behind the bench, not simply Jeremy Colliton, however the whole thing. Prime to backside, change. In any other case, you waste one other season and the exits of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews out of your group develop into a stain on the franchise.
• In higher information final night time for the group, the Rockford IceHogs obtained their first win of the season. A 5-3 win over the Chicago Wolves noticed a couple of of the massive names from this preseason making an impression.
• 2020 first-round draft decide Lukas Reichel scored his first objective of the season final night time to tie the sport within the second interval.
Lukas Reichel exhibits off his pace for his first AHL objective. Josiah Slavin and Isaak Phillips with the assists. #RFDvsCHI pic.twitter.com/WEVTtb39A6
— Greg Boysen (@GregBoysen) October 17, 2021
• That’s what you like to see.
• Alex Nylander additionally made an influence on the sport final night time, scoring twice to pad the lead within the third interval and add an empty-netter late within the recreation.
Mike Hardman will get the puck up the ice and Alex Nylander finishes it off for his first IceHogs objective. #RFDvsCHI pic.twitter.com/OgFGpYMPkJ
— Greg Boysen (@GregBoysen) October 17, 2021
• Good for Nylander to get on the board as properly. Confidence constructing is what you need to see from these sorts of gamers with the IceHogs to start this season.
• Additionally taking place within the AHL final night time, the primary feminine referee in league historical past made her debut!
Historical past has been made.
Katie Guay has develop into the primary feminine referee within the AHL!
(🎥 @TheAHL) pic.twitter.com/kV9bmJHfN1
— NHL (@NHL) October 16, 2021
• The AHL can have ten feminine referees and lineswomen working within the league this season.
• Talking of historical past, the Chicago Sky have an opportunity to win their first WNBA Championship this afternoon, taking up the Phoenix Mercury with a 2-1 sequence lead within the WNBA Finals.
*faucets mic 🎙*
‼️ IT’S GAAME 4 GAME DAY ‼️⏰: 2PM CT
📺: ESPN
🏟: @WintrustArena
🎟: SOLD OUT pic.twitter.com/U8f0BUHwUf— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) October 17, 2021
• The Mercury have been the staff that swept the Sky again in 2014, the final time Chicago was within the WNBA Finals. So some poetic justice may very well be served at the moment.
• Additionally taking place at the moment within the Chicago sports activities panorama, one other version of the Bears and Packers rivalry. It may be the final time Aaron Rodgers performs at Solider Area.
What If That is Aaron Rodgers’ Final Recreation at Soldier Area? And Different Bears Bulletshttps://t.co/bs0vsdQusK
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) October 17, 2021
• Massive day within the Windy Metropolis.
• I’ll go away you with some levity from final night time since this was a extra miserable version of Bullets. Chris Kreider and Alexis Lafrenière are huge followers of smelling salts and sharing.
Kreids and Laf. What within the hell. pic.twitter.com/BqlJU3oywj
— Mike Murphy (@DigDeepBSB) October 16, 2021
• You ever strive a kind of issues? Good lord is it horrible.
• That may do it for at the moment. Hope you all have a great Sunday and Go Bears!
https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2021/10/17/fleury-shelled-time-for-change-and-other-blackhawks-bullets/ | Fleury Shelled, Time For Change, and Different Blackhawks Bullets
