10 observations: Frank Nazar excels again, but Blackhawks fall to Golden Knights

10 observations: Frank Nazar excels again, but Blackhawks fall to Golden Knights originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago

Presented by National Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich

O Chicago Blackhawks lost their fifth consecutive contest after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.

Here are 10 observations from the loss:

1. I liked the Blackhawks’ first period. It seemed like they were in control from the start. But Vegas turned the ice in their favor in the second period, where they outscored Chicago 10-2, according to Natural Stat Trick, and ended up closing the door in the third period.

two. Frank Nazar shined all night and was easily one of Chicago’s best players. Vegas scored the second goal after Nazar’s shot was blocked, but that was their only miss of the game. He can skate, play and shoot the puck well. Super small sample size, but I’ve been impressed with his play so far.

3. Petr Mrazek stopped the first 20 shots he faced before Vegas finally got one on him. It didn’t have run support and could have used it because it was solid again.

4. When Chicago’s first line of Connor Bedard, Jason Dickinson and Philipp Kurashev was on the ice together at even strength, the Blackhawks trailed 23-6 in shot attempts. That trio had a rough night, despite Dickinson scoring the only goal of the game for the Blackhawks late in the third period.

5. The Blackhawks didn’t fare well in the faceoff. They won just 17 of 57 draws for a winning percentage of 29.8. Dickinson, who is normally strong in that department, lost 15 of 18.

6. Seth Jones was all over the scoresheet. He had five shot attempts, three shots on goal, three blocks, two hits, two fouls and one withdrawal. He also logged 27:37 of ice time, which led all skaters.

7. The Golden Knights had a few players absent for various reasons: William Carrier (upper body), Anthony Mantha (undisclosed injury), Alex Pietrangelo (illness), Chandler Stephenson (undisclosed injury) and Mark Stone (lacerated spleen). All eyes, of course, are on Stone, who could return for Game 1 of the playoffs. I imagine social media will handle this well.

8. Dallas and Vancouver have had unbelievable regular seasons, and their reward in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs could be the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights. What a brutal draw it would be for either team. Vegas’ victory against Chicago, however, moved them into third place in the Pacific Division. Edmonton-Vegas in the first round would probably be best.

9. The Blackhawks lottery odds have officially been determined. They have the second-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick at 13.5 percent and are guaranteed a top-four pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. They had worse odds last season (third) when they won the Bedard sweepstakes.

10. The Blackhawks visit Los Angeles on Thursday for their season finale. To some extent, it’s hard to believe the offseason is just around the corner. On the other hand, this season felt longer than others.

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