Blackhawks unsurprisingly routed by league-best Avalanche: 'We didn't have it'
Sometimes the most lopsided NHL matchups on paper end in surprise. It happens more frequently than it seems like it should.
But sometimes they do go exactly as expected, and the Blackhawks' 4-1 loss Friday against the Avalanche fell in that bucket.
Every factor was working against the Hawks, who were on the second half of a back-to-back set, starting backup goalie Arvid Soderblom and facing the best team in the league.
Soderblom was actually stellar, making 45 saves, but his hard work was pointless in the face of such a relentless Colorado attack on a young and fatigued Hawks defense.
"We didn't have it tonight, and they did," coach Jeff Blashill said. "[The Avalanche] snapped the puck around well. They were skating. We weren't skating. We had too many times where we were standing still, with or without the puck, and then you're in a grind."
The Avalanche finished with absurd advantages in every statistical category: 87-42 in shot attempts, 49-20 in shots on goal and 49-21 in scoring chances.
A whopping 44 of those Avalanche scoring chances came during five-on-five play — the most the Hawks have allowed in a game since March 2019. But the Hawks' penalty kill, which hasn't been nearly as stout since several of its stalwarts were traded, also allowed two goals.
Jeff Blashill on how Nick Lardis fared on the second line tonight:
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 21, 2026
"He was kind of like the rest of our team, not skating enough and not creating enough. But it was our whole team, so I certainly can’t pin that on him."
"As a group, I didn’t think we were winning enough puck…
Lottery implications
The NHL draft lottery will take place May 5, but yet to be determined is each team's odds of landing the No. 1 or No. 2 pick headed in.
The Hawks sit third-to-last in the NHL standings, ahead of only the Canucks and Flames. If they finish there, they would have a 19% chance to get one of those two picks.
It's actually remarkable that they're in roughly the same lottery position as last season despite having already exceeded last season's point total (64 points vs. 61). That fact reflects of the league's increased parity.
Controversial Canadian forward Gavin McKenna and less controversial Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg stand out as the consensus top 2026 draft prospects at the moment.
After them, there's a large group of acclaimed defensemen (including Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid, Alberts Smits, Carson Carels and Daxon Rudolph), as well as a few forwards (Caleb Malhotra, Tynan Lawrence, Viggo Bjorck and Ethan Belchetz) whose spots in the hierarchy varies more from ranking to ranking.
Frondell watch
While the Hawks continue to wait for forward prospect Sacha Boisvert's U.S. work visa to get approved — that process has been especially slow lately around the league — Frondell may or may not be just days away from also joining the team.
Frondell's Swedish club, Djurgardens, will play a do-or-die playoff game Saturday against Malmo. If they lose, their season ends. If they win, they advance to a lengthy best-of-seven series in the next round.
In Djurgardens' regular-season finale last week, Frondell's 20th goal of the season (in 43 games) made him the first 18-year-old to reach that mark in the Swedish league since Daniel Sedin in 1999. That's impressive company.
Notes
Louis Crevier and Andrew Mangiapane both missed Friday's game because of undisclosed injuries suffered Thursday in Minnesota. Blashill implied Crevier is day-to-day whereas Mangiapane might be out a little bit longer.
Forward prospect Gavin Hayes will miss six-to-eight weeks with an MCL injury, meaning his second season in Rockford is likely over. He took a significant step forward in it, recording 25 points during his last 46 games, and he has a chance to become vaguely NHL-relevant next season.