The Chicago Blackhawks drew blank and got thumped by the LA Kings, 6-0, nights after defeating them in a tight 2-1 game. This was the second time the Blackhawks got shutout this season, with the previous one being against the Colorado Avalanche in a close 1-0 loss.
Head coach Jeff Blashill waved off the comparison of last night's loss to the 9-2 blowout suffered by Chicago in late November, and said,
"This compared to the Buffalo game are two different animals, to be honest with you. Because I thought we started and played really really well, and then it just got away from us. Buffalo, from the drop of the puck, they were the better team and we never had anything going that night. If we score early (tonight), it could be a different game."
3 least impressive Chicago Blackhawks players from the 6-0 shutout loss to LA Kings:
#3. Spencer Knight
Out of the 32 shots he faced, Spencer Knight was able to stop only 26 shots, and ended the night with .813 SV%. In the last game against the LA Kings, Knight conceded only one goal, and made 26 saves (.963 SV%) in goal.
The former 1st round pick's standout moment was in the 2nd period when he made a thrilling save on a 2-on-1 opportunity for the shorthanded Kings, when he slid across his crease and caught Warren Foegele's shot in his glove hand.
With Knight in net, the Blackhawks have a 9-6-5 record so far this season.
#2. Tyler Bertuzzi
Tyler Bertuzzi ended the game with a -2 rating, as he was on the line when two of the Kings' six goals were scored. Coming into last night's game, Bertuzzi was the second-highest points scorer for the Blackhawks - 24 points from 14 goals and 10 assists.
Around the 18:00 mark of the second period, Bertuzzi kicked the puck along the boards in a attempt to clear it, but it instead struck a teammate and fell to Trevor Moore, who passed it to goal-scorer Warren Foegele.
The LA Kings were shorthanded around the 10:00 minute mark of the second period, when Tyler Bertuzzi's pass to the center of the ice was intercepted by Quinton Byfield, who made it a 2-on-1 scoring opportunity for the Kings. Spencer Knight stood tall in net, and made an impressive save to hold LA to a 1-0 at the time.
#3. Connor Bedard
The Chicago Blackhawks superstar played a team-high 22:07 minutes in last night's game against the LA Kings, but was just as ineffective as the rest of his team. He had only two shots on goal, and ended the game with a -2 rating.
The major reason Connor Bedard makes it to the Blackhawks' least impressive list at No. 1 is because of his abysmal 27.3 face off%, he won just three of eleven face offs vs. the Kings.
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