Blackhawks plagued by poor defensive decisions in loss to Flyers

PHILADELPHIA — Chicago's defense at Xfinity Mobile Arena this week left much to be desired.

On Wednesday, the Bulls' 157-137 loss to the 76ers marked the most points they've allowed in a regulation game since March 1969.

Then on Thursday, the Blackhawks got skated out of the same building in a 5-1 loss to the Flyers.

"We didn't have enough guys close to their best," Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said. "It's a hard league when you don't have that. It's part of what we're learning, how to have your 'A' [game] and then your 'B-plus' game."

The Hawks allowed more than 40 shots on goal for the third time in four games. Some sudden cracks in their structure are starting to erode.

The only silver lining was that Louis Crevier, whose cheek was sliced open by a Flyers skate blade in the third period, turned out to be OK after great initial concern.

A miscommunication between Spencer Knight and Artyom Levshunov that led to a Flyers empty-net goal in the first minute set the off-key tone for the Hawks, who produced arguably their second-most unfocused, undisciplined and error-prone performance this season.

The only memorably worse game was the late-January visit to Pittsburgh. The state of Pennsylvania was quite unwelcoming this season.

"[The Flyers] played more intense than us," Connor Bedard said. "I thought we didn’t really match that, for whatever reason. Obviously [it's] something we got to do better."

Indeed, there has been a noticeable contrast in urgency levels between the out-of-contention Hawks and their last three opponents, who all happen to be clawing for their lives on the playoff bubbles. The Hawks haven't been decisive enough when gathering pucks or fighting for them in battles.

"We have a lot of importance in these last [10] games, whether it’s for the playoffs or not," Bedard added. "We’re tired of being in the spot we’re in [in] April."

Young Hawks defensemen made poor decisions to step up in the neutral zone all night long, allowing a steady stream of odd-man rushes.

Ethan Del Mastro did so in egregious fashion in the first period and was lucky the Flyers didn't convert the breakaway it created. Wyatt Kaiser and Sam Rinzel did so in the second period and weren't so lucky; the Flyers ended up scoring off both of those rushes.

"We've talked about tighter gapping, and that might've led to our guys running north instead of lateral gapping," Blashill said. "We want to get up in the zone and forecheck as a five-man unit, but we can't run up like we did at times today. It was, again, a learning process of that balance of...knowing when you don't have help and can't run north."

Both new Hawks rookie forwards, Anton Frondell and Sacha Boisvert, committed hooking penalties but otherwise weren't part of the problem.

Boisvert, who was denied on a semi-breakaway in the second period, received only 9:03 of ice time as the fourth-line center in his NHL debut, but Blashill gave him a positive review.

"It was good experience," Boisvert said. "It gives me guidelines on what I know and what I don't know on the system."

Frondell earned his second assist in as many games with a spinning — but perhaps unintentional — pass to Bedard, who has now reached the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. Frondell's ability to use his body to protect the puck continues to impress.

"You can tell he's really strong on the puck and can really shoot it," Blashill said. "He's a smart player. I still think there's more [to come] there on that line, but he played real good."

Said Bedard: "I think I can help him out more. I probably haven’t played my best since he’s been here."