DETROIT — The Blackhawks broke their power-play goal drought Thursday against the Red Wings, but considering they did so less than a minute after allowing another shorthanded goal, it wasn’t exactly satisfying.
“We can’t be playing like that,” forward Tyler Johnson said, his frustration evident. “It’s a privilege to be out there [on the power play], and we’re just not doing anything right now. It’s pretty embarrassing, and it turns the tide of the game. You see [Detroit’s] ‘PP’ — they score goals. It’s a big difference.”
Special teams indeed doomed the Hawks in the 5-1 loss, as the Wings added two power-play goals after their shorthanded goal to run away with the game.
Lukas Reichel’s power-play goal three minutes in marked the only time the Hawks dented Wings goalie Alex Lyon, who was fantastic throughout the night.
The Hawks’ power play is now 7-for-68 this season, a 10.3% conversion rate that ranks 30th in the NHL, and 1-for-20 over the last seven games. They’ve also conceded four shorthanded goals, including two in the last two games.
Coach Luke Richardson’s advice for the power play has made sense. By staying in motion and shooting the puck often, penalty-killers will have to stop skating to try to block shots, allowing them to track down rebounds and keep cycling. But something is getting lost in transition between Richardson’s words and the team’s actions.
“There’s a little bit of tentativeness there, and the other teams probably smell that out,” Richardson said. “We can’t really work on it any more [than we already have], but we’ve got to work on it smarter. Even the last few days in practice, I think we’ve been moving the puck quicker. It has to translate into the game, though.”
Special teams aside, the Hawks actually had the majority of the possession, finishing with a 54-39 edge in shot attempts and 29-20 edge in scoring chances during five-on-five play.
But 11 of the Wings’ 20 chances were high-danger, exemplifying how occasional critical breakdowns keep costing the Hawks. Rookie defenseman Wyatt Kaiser had a particularly tough night.
