Blackhawks see 'level that we've got to get to' in shootout loss to Lightning
Before Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill could begin his pregame news conference Friday, he was interrupted by Lightning coach Jon Cooper, for whom Blashill was an assistant for three seasons (2022-25).
There’s a similarity between the teams because Blashill has brought some aspects of the Lightning’s system to Chicago. But the Hawks still are striving to achieve the kind of success the Lightning have had and used the game Friday as a litmus test.
Well, the Lightning certainly looked like one of the premier teams in the NHL, the kind the Hawks hope to develop into during the coming years. They largely outplayed the Hawks in a 2-1 shootout victory. Former Hawks prospect Dominic James scored the decisive shootout goal for the Lightning in the fifth round.
‘‘What we’ll take from tonight is just a lesson of how hard you’ve got to be in your stick, how crisp you have to be with your passes,’’ Blashill said. ‘‘That’s the level that we’ve got to get to. And with that said, we were able to get a point.’’
The Lightning outshot the Hawks 21-6 in the first two periods. Goalie Arvid Soderblom was the main reason the Hawks were still in the game.
‘‘It was a busy night,’’ said Soderblom, who made 30 saves. ‘‘It was fun to play, see a lot of shots. Sucks we didn’t get both points. I think we played our best in the third and made our push. Obviously not enough.’’
The second period was particularly brutal for the Hawks’ offense. Their first shot on goal in the second came at the 15:51 mark, and they finished with only two for the period. The Hawks also squandered their three power-play opportunities.
‘‘I think tonight we owe a lot of credit to Soderblom,’’ said forward Ryan Greene, who scored the Hawks’ lone goal. ‘‘I thought he was unbelievable. I don’t think that game goes into overtime without him playing the way that he did.’’
Blashill said there’s value in the Hawks measuring themselves against the Lightning and Hurricanes, whom they beat in a shootout Thursday. They weren’t satisfied with picking up three points in two nights.
‘‘I thought we played really well in the third and had some chances to put it away,’’ Greene said. ‘‘We’re trying to grow so we can win games like that.
‘‘It says a lot about us [that] when we’re playing the right way and playing good hockey, we’re a tough team to handle. We’re just trying to keep that going.’’
Greene’s scoring on uptick
Greene said he hasn’t done anything differently lately, but he’s starting to be more noticeable on the stat sheet after scoring his third goal in the last seven games.
‘‘Confidence is part of it, so once you start scoring, that’s when guys start going on streaks and start scoring on a regular basis,’’ Blashill said.
Dickinson back
Forward Jason Dickinson played against the Lightning after missing the game Thursday with an illness.