The Blackhawks have taken one step toward competitiveness, but they still have another big step left to take.
"To start the year, we gave up a lot of chances and didn’t create much," coach Jeff Blashill said Saturday. "Now we’re creating way more but still giving up too much."
That was certainly the case in the Hawks' 4-0 loss to the Stars. It marked their first defeat this season with Connor Bedard in the lineup and their first time shut out at home since Dec. 13 last season.
The Hawks probably deserved a couple goals that excellent Stars goalie Jake Oettinger refused to yield to them. They were actually credited with a 19-16 advantage in five-on-five scoring chances.
But they also tested Spencer Knight's goaltending abilities behind them too often — particularly on the penalty kill and during four-on-four play, which the Stars dominated. Stars forward Arttu Hyry eventually scored late in the second period and again early in the third to break the game open.
Hawks turnovers at the defensive blue line and failed dump-ins at the offensive blue line were a recurring theme.
"We just weren't crisp," Connor Bedard said. "I don't think we were in the right spots for each other.
"We want to play fast and fly the zone, but we've got to make sure guys have an easy out. We just weren't getting the puck out of our end tonight, and that's on the five-man unit; that's not on the 'D'-men."
Blashill admitted the Bedard-led top line hasn't created as much in the last two games as it did in Bedard's first game back (Tuesday).
The Hawks' No. 2 center, Anton Frondell, also received a career-low 12:40 of ice time, with Blashill saying "he didn’t have the same level he's had."
It's funny how hockey tends to balance things out over time.
The Hawks went 4-0-0 against the Mammoth and 2-0-1 against the Stars last season. Those were surprising records against two playoff teams that finished well above them in the standings.
Already this season, however, they've lost to both — by a combined 10-0 score.
The Hawks don't play again until Friday against the Canadiens, giving them five consecutive non-game days to rest and practice (three times).
"Honestly, if I had my druthers, we would just keep playing," Blashill said. "But we have these days, and we’re going to take advantage of them."
We'll see if Bowen Byram is able to return from his upper-body injury by Friday. Andrew Mangiapane, injured since the opening game, is expected to resume skating during this window.
Knight lamented that the World Series doesn't start until Friday, either. Since attending the Cubs' penultimate home game, he has been enjoying the MLB playoffs.
Although Blashill clearly prefers Ethan Del Mastro to Kevin Korchinski as a defensive fill-in option, the latter is still somewhat in flux, too.
"Me and Kevin have been talking through the last month or so [about being in] similar spots at similar age," Del Mastro said Saturday. "Every time we're not in together, that's an opportunity for us to work on stuff. It's not often you get two 'D' to be able to work on stuff; it's usually two forwards and a 'D.'"
The 23-year-old defenseman has worked on his gap control, refining his decision-making process about when to step up and when to back off opposing forwards skating through the neutral zone.
His physicality can be valuable in the defensive zone, and Blashill likes how his confidence never wavers, no matter what. But his breakouts have long been a weakness, just like they've been for the Hawks as a team.
"For me, [breakouts are about] trying to keep it simple, not over-complicate things, stick to the script," he said. "It goes so fast; not everyone is in the right spots all the time. Knowing when to make a play and when to live another day, that's another big thing."
