Blackhawks Lose to Senators on Bizarre Goal, Continue Overtime Struggles

Overtime Woes Continue

Overtime hasn’t been friendly to the Blackhawks this season. A 4-3 OT loss to the Senators on Wednesday — the Hawks’ seventh consecutive loss in games that have gone past regulation — had the strangest ending yet.

Bizarre Goal Upheld after Brief Review

Senators star Tim Stutzle capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover by Hawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, raced down the wing and crashed toward the goal. Kaiser tied up Stutzle and sent him careening into goalie Arvid Soderblom. In the process, the puck went off Stutzle’s skate and across the line.

The goal was upheld after a brief league-initiated review, prompting a chorus of boos from a United Center crowd of 17,432 and preventing the Hawks from potentially earning their second three-game winning streak of the season.

Hawks Coach Sorensen: “If They Call it a Goal on the Ice, It Doesn’t Seem to Come Back Very Often”

Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen later said he believed it was goaltender interference, but there was nothing he could do. There was also arguably a kicking motion. But there seems to be an increasingly consistent pattern around the league that if a player is pushed into the crease, pretty much anything goes.

1-6 in Overtime Games

The Hawks are 1-6 in games decided in overtime and 1-2 in shootouts. Last season, despite an even worse overall record, they were 5-5 in overtimes and 1-1 in shootouts.

Maroon on the Loss

Hawks forward Pat Maroon made one of his best plays of the season to set up Craig Smith for an equalizing goal early in the third period. Otherwise, it was a fairly tight-checking game.

Defensive Improvement

The Hawks have held up well defensively since trading Seth Jones, with young defenseman Ethan Del Mastro’s sudden emergence as a major minutes-muncher — he played 21:22 against the Senators — being a key reason why.

Sorensen on Del Mastro

“[Del Mastro has] the poise,” Sorensen said. “He’s willing to absorb a hit, hang onto [the puck] and spin off and make a play out of it. He sees the ice real well. [And he makes] a lot of stops defensively.”

Goaltending Rotation

Despite having three goalies on the roster, Sorensen said the Hawks will use exclusively a two-man goaltending rotation with Soderblom and Spencer Knight, who will make his second Hawks start Friday against Utah.

What About Petr Mrazek?

Sorensen shook his head when asked if the Hawks might try to put Mrazek on waivers and send him to Rockford. It seems the 29-year-old goalie is stuck in no-man’s land, with a $4.25 million salary-cap hit through next season, making it difficult to trade him.

Adam Gaudette’s Journey

Adam Gaudette’s Hawks tenure in 2021 has probably been forgotten by most fans. He made only 15 appearances across two seasons, notching six points, before getting claimed off waivers by the Senators. Away from the rink, however, Gaudette was very memorable because he differed so much from typical hockey players. He switched to a largely vegan diet to overcome some lifelong digestive problems and later opened up about carrying crystals with him and doing saging rituals with herbs.

Gaudette’s Success with the Senators

For that reason, it’s interesting and heartening to see Gaudette, now 28, experiencing some long-awaited success with the Senators this season — in his second stint with their franchise after several years on the Maple Leafs and Blues’ AHL affiliates. He’s tied for fourth on the Senators with 16 goals, ahead of guys like Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux. Granted, only three of those goals have come in his last 34 games, and he has averaged less than 11 minutes of ice time, but even sticking in the NHL for a whole season is an accomplishment for Gaudette.

Notes

All eyes are focused on the NHL trade deadline Friday, but the Hawks will still have 20 games left to play after the deadline passes — 10 at home and 10 on the road.

The Utah game Friday will be the Hawks’ first deadline-day game since 2021. That can lead to some complicated logistics when it comes to setting the lineup.

Andreas Athanasiou was benched for the entire third period. Sorensen said “several things” contributed to that decision, but Athanasiou’s frequent turnovers were surely one of them.

Conclusion

The Blackhawks’ struggles in overtime continue, with their latest loss coming on a bizarre goal that was upheld after a brief review. The team will look to regroup and find ways to succeed in games that go past regulation.

FAQs

* What is the current record of the Blackhawks in overtime games?
The Blackhawks are 1-6 in games decided in overtime and 1-2 in shootouts.
* How many games do the Blackhawks have left to play after the trade deadline?
The Hawks will have 20 games left to play after the deadline passes — 10 at home and 10 on the road.
* Who will start in goal for the Hawks in their next game against Utah?
Spencer Knight will make his second start for the Hawks against Utah.