Additional time hasn’t been pleasant to the Blackhawks this season.
A 4-3 OT loss to the Senators on Wednesday — the Hawks’ seventh consecutive loss in video games which have gone previous regulation —had the strangest ending but.
Senators star Tim Stutzle capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover by Hawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser, raced down the wing and crashed towards the purpose. Kaiser tied up Stutzle and despatched him careening into goalie Arvid Soderblom. Within the course of, the puck went off Stutzle’s skate and throughout the road.
The purpose was upheld after a short league-initiated overview, prompting a refrain of boos from a United Middle crowd of 17,432 and stopping the Hawks from probably incomes their second three-game profitable streak of the season.
Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen later stated he believed it was goaltender interference, however there was nothing he might do. There was additionally arguably a kicking movement. However there appears to be an more and more constant sample across the league that if a participant is pushed into the crease, just about something goes.
“In the event that they name it a purpose on the ice, it doesn’t appear to return again fairly often,” Sorensen stated.
Stated Hawks ahead Pat Maroon: “The boys performed onerous tonight. We battled again. We caught in there. However these calls can go both approach, and it looks as if they’re not going our approach this 12 months for some cause.”
Senators OT winner was questionable from each kicking and goalie interference angles, however while you get pushed in, tends to be that something goes… pic.twitter.com/h0mzopsvTz
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 6, 2025
The Hawks are 1-6 in video games determined in extra time and 1-2 in shootouts. Final season, regardless of a fair worse general file, they have been 5-5 in overtimes and 1-1 in shootouts.
Maroon made one in all his greatest performs of the season to arrange Craig Smith for an equalizing purpose early within the third interval. In any other case, it was a reasonably tight-checking recreation.
The Hawks have held up effectively defensively since buying and selling Seth Jones, with younger defenseman Ethan Del Mastro’s sudden emergence as a serious minutes-muncher — he performed 21:22 towards the Senators — being a key cause why.
“[Del Mastro has] the poise,” Sorensen stated. “He’s prepared to soak up a success, dangle onto [the puck] and spin off and make a play out of it. He sees the ice actual effectively. [And he makes] a whole lot of stops defensively.”
Mrazek not in rotation
Regardless of having three goalies on the roster, Sorensen stated the Hawks will use completely a two-man goaltending rotation with Soderblom and Spencer Knight, who will make his second Hawks begin Friday towards Utah.
“It’s robust when you will have three, [so] it’s important to discover some kind of rotation,” Sorensen stated. “You’ll be able to’t play three goalies. We’re going to go together with these two proper now. Issues can change, however these are the 2 guys.”
That leaves Petr Mrazek caught in no-man’s land. The Hawks will attempt to commerce him, however his $4.25 million salary-cap hit by way of subsequent season will make that troublesome. Sorensen shook his head when requested if the Hawks may attempt to put him on waivers and ship him to Rockford.
Gaudette’s journey
Adam Gaudette’s Hawks tenure in 2021 has in all probability been forgotten by most followers. He made solely 15 appearances throughout two seasons, notching six factors, earlier than getting claimed off waivers by the Senators.
Away from the rink, nevertheless, Gaudette was very memorable as a result of he differed a lot from typical hockey gamers. Throughout his one offseason in Chicago, he switched to a largely vegan weight loss plan to beat some lifelong digestive issues. He later opened up about carrying crystals with him and doing saging rituals with herbs.
For that cause, it’s fascinating 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 a number of years on the Maple Leafs and Blues’ AHL associates.
He’s tied for fourth on the Senators with 16 objectives, forward of men like Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux. Granted, solely three of these objectives have are available his final 34 video games, and he has averaged lower than 11 minutes of ice time, however even sticking within the NHL for a complete season is an accomplishment for Gaudette.
Notes
All eyes are focused on the NHL trade deadline Friday, however the Hawks will nonetheless have 20 video games left to play after the deadline passes — 10 at house and 10 on the street.
† The Utah recreation Friday would be the Hawks’ first deadline-day recreation since 2021. That may result in some difficult logistics with regards to setting the lineup.
† Andreas Athanasiou was benched for all the third interval. Sorensen stated “a number of issues” contributed to that call, however Athanasiou’s frequent turnovers have been certainly one in all them.
