Connor Bedard notches two points, rues missed shot in Blackhawks' loss to Blue Jackets

Connor Bedard recorded his first multi-point game in several weeks Friday, but the only thing he was thinking about afterward was a missed shot late in the third period.

With the top half of the net gaping open with 3:34 left, Bedard rifled the puck high, and the Blackhawks never generated another quality opportunity to equalize before allowing an empty-net goal in a 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Bedard looked despondent on the bench and his frustration was evident in the locker room, even though he was in no mood to translate it into words.

The Hawks' power-play drought extended to 26 consecutive failed opportunities, even with Sam Rinzel taking over quarterbacking duties on the top unit.

They were unable to rally back from a 3-1 deficit despite outshooting the Jackets 16-5 during the second half of the game. It marked their fifth consecutive defeat.

Bedard did score in a second consecutive game and also assisted on Frank Nazar's first goal in six games since returning from injury.

"[If] we do more of [what we did in] the second half, that’s when we’re a successful team," coach Jeff Blashill said.

Rinzel’s growth

Rookie Sam Rinzel, making his first NHL appearance since early December, immediately led Hawks defensemen with 22:18 of ice time, and he looked confident doing so.

"He had an impact skating and moving the puck with less big errors than [before] he left," Blashill said. "You've got to judge the positives versus the minuses. It’s really hard if you have a whole bunch of minuses. Today, outside one decision on a late step into the [offensive] zone, I thought he played well."

During Rinzel's 19-game Rockford stint, he tallied 10 points with solid but not spectacular play. However, he believes he significantly improved his defensive game and general understanding of how to be successful in pro hockey.

"Part of it is realizing that 90% of the game is just 50/50 shifts, and it's just about winning those 50/50 shifts," Rinzel said. "Nothing has to be flashy or crazy. It's just learning to play with my brain and use my brain to beat guys."

Burakovsky’s slump

Jackets forward Charlie Coyle had a hat trick, but his go-ahead goal early in the second period was practically assisted by Hawks forward Andre Burakovsky, who committed a brutal turnover by passing right to him.

During the same stretch of January in which Levshunov has struggled, Burakovsky has struggled, too. He entered Friday with just one point (an assist) in 10 games since Jan. 9, and the Hawks had been outscored 10-3 and outshot 87-51 in his ice time during that span.

Frequent turnovers of the catastrophic variety — not just regular turnovers that are quickly forgotten — have plagued his game and prompted a demotion off Bedard's line.

Rockford’s woes

The Hawks' frequent call-ups of Rockford's best players have wreaked havoc on the IceHogs' win/loss results. They now have the AHL's fourth-worst record at 16-23-4, which means they're 11-23-4 since starting the season with five consecutive wins.

In more bad AHL news, goalie Drew Commesso was placed in concussion protocol Friday.

Notes

Nick Foligno, who left Thursday with an injury, didn't play Friday against the Jackets team he formerly captained. He was deemed day-to-day by Blashill.

Three Hawks reached milestones Friday: Connor Murphy and Teuvo Teravainen played their 800th career games, and Mikheyev played his 400th career game.