The Chicago Blackhawks saw their modest three-game point streak snapped on Sunday night, falling 5-1 to the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at the United Center. For Florida, it was another notch in a strong stretch of road dominance-six wins in their last seven away from home.
Chicago’s offense, which has struggled to find rhythm over the past couple of weeks, once again came up short. The Blackhawks generated very little pressure in the high-danger areas, settling for shots from the outside that did little to test Panthers backup goalie Daniil Tarasov, who was making just his 16th start of the season. According to Natural Stat Trick, Chicago managed only six high-danger scoring chances and 1.64 expected goals for-numbers that paint a pretty clear picture of how ineffective the attack was.
Head coach Jeff Blashill has been searching for answers up front, shuffling his forward lines frequently in recent days. Sunday morning’s skate featured yet another new configuration, with Oliver Moore skating alongside Connor Bedard, and Frank Nazar paired with Nick Lardis.
But those combinations didn’t last long. Once the game got going and the offense sputtered, Blashill was forced to pivot again.
Nothing stuck.
Over their last seven games-six of which have come at home-the Blackhawks have scored just 11 goals. They’ve topped 24 shots in a game only once during that stretch. Simply put, the offense has gone ice cold.
The power play hasn’t done them any favors either. Chicago went 0-for-3 on the man advantage against Florida, extending their drought to 17 straight opportunities without a goal.
Their last power-play tally came back on January 10. Not long ago, this unit was humming at a 23.3% clip through the first 45 games, ranking seventh in the league.
But after this recent slump, that number is dropping fast and could soon fall to the middle of the pack.
Let’s break down how this one unfolded.
First Period: Defensive Duel, Missed Opportunities
The opening 20 minutes were a defensive tug-of-war. Both teams combined for just 14 shots on goal, and while Florida had a slight edge in scoring chances (8-4) and high-danger looks (4-1), neither team managed to break through.
Chicago had a chance to capitalize early when Ryan Donato drew a tripping penalty on A.J. Greer at 6:30, giving the Blackhawks the game’s first power play. But the man advantage once again came up empty, producing just one shot and no real threat.
The best scoring chance of the period came on a transition play led by Connor Bedard. After picking Cole Schwindt’s pocket at the blue line, Bedard charged into the zone and found a trailing Connor Murphy. Murphy’s one-timer looked destined for the back of the net, but Tarasov flashed the left pad to deny him.
Despite the effort, the Blackhawks couldn’t sustain any offensive-zone pressure. That lack of consistency led Blashill to shake up his top-six forward group once again heading into the second.
Second Period: Late Goals, Brief Hope
For more than 35 minutes, the score remained locked at 0-0-until the Panthers finally broke through.
Tobias Bjornfot, who hadn’t scored an NHL goal since May 2021, carried the puck from the left point, wrapped around the net, and threw a shot toward the far post. It deflected off defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and snuck past Spencer Knight at 15:33.
It was a fortunate bounce for Florida, but one they earned through sustained pressure. 1-0, Panthers.
To their credit, the Blackhawks responded before the period ended. With under a minute left, Wyatt Kaiser made a heads-up play to keep the puck in the zone after a weak clearing attempt.
He quickly moved it cross-ice to Ilya Mikheyev, who found Tyler Bertuzzi in front for the tap-in. That goal-Bertuzzi’s 25th of the season-snapped a five-game drought and tied the game at 1-1 heading into the second intermission.
Through 40 minutes, the Panthers held a 16-15 edge in shots on goal and doubled up the Blackhawks in scoring chances (14-7), but the game was still very much within reach.
Third Period: Panthers Pull Away
The Blackhawks had a couple of early looks in the third, but Tarasov stood tall. And then the wheels came off.
After a turnover in the neutral zone, Florida dumped the puck in and got to work. Mackie Samoskevich picked it up along the right boards, skated unchecked into the faceoff circle, and let a wrist shot go.
It slipped through Knight and just crossed the line at 5:20. Wyatt Kaiser made a desperate attempt to clear it off the goal line, but he was a second too late.
2-1, Panthers.
Florida didn’t waste time adding to their lead. Just over two minutes later, Evan Rodrigues danced around two Blackhawks defenders and fed Carter Verhaeghe in the soft spot of the zone. Verhaeghe wasted no time, ripping a shot over Knight’s glove to make it 3-1 at 7:24.
With just over two minutes left, Blashill pulled Knight for the extra attacker in a last-ditch effort. But it backfired quickly.
Sam Reinhart sealed the deal with an empty-netter at 18:11-his 26th of the season. 4-1, Panthers.
Florida would tack on one more before the final horn, completing a dominant third period and sending the Blackhawks to a 5-1 loss.
What’s Next
The defeat drops Chicago to 21-23-8 through 52 games. The team returns to action Tuesday night for a Central Division matchup against the Minnesota Wild.
If the Blackhawks are going to stay in the playoff conversation, they’ll need to find a spark-especially on offense. Right now, they’re searching for answers in all the wrong places, and time is starting to run short.