LAS VEGAS – Colton Dach didn’t mind admitting that it was a tough pill to swallow when the Chicago Blackhawks sent him back to Rockford on Feb. 5.
“It’s a little bit upsetting,” he told the Tribune Thursday before the Hawks’ 7-5 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. “You want to stay up here as long as you can.
“So when you get sent down, it’s a little bit of mental warfare with yourself and you’ve just got to try and find your game back and prove to them that you belong up here. When you go down there, it’s not going down there and being pissy and mopey. It’s going down with a really good attitude.”
In Rockford, he saw familiar faces with whom he could laugh with and hang out, which built up his confidence and nudged him toward his goal: playing more consistently.
“I need to be moving fast, making plays, holding on to pucks, being physical, being engaged, being fast in front of the net,” Dach said. “Being some guy that defensemen, when the puck’s in the corner, they don’t really want to go in there with a guy that’s going to give 110% in every single battle.”
In his second Hawks game since his Monday recall, he would have to show a lot more than promise. Not only did he come through with a goal, but the night proved to be a confidence booster for several young skaters.
- After the Hawks got plastered 5-1 in the first period, Dach led off the second with his second career goal, which came just 1 minute, 1 second into the frame.
- Frank Nazar had the helper on that goal, as well as a third-period tally by Ilya Mikheyev. Nazar also had two breakaways, but couldn’t score on either.
- Ethan Del Mastro bagged his first career goal in the second.
- Fifth-year forward Philipp Kurashev, continuing to justify his return to the lineup, accounted for the Hawks’ fifth goal.
Nazar said of Dach’s goal, “Honestly, he put in the work, he got in there on the forecheck, helped us get the puck back, and then goes in there and battles in the net front. So he deserves that.”
Asked what clicked for Nazar, Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen said, “Skating. He was just skating. That’s all it is.”
But as much as the Hawks got a lift from those performances, a late heartbreaker of a goal from Knights forward Ivan Barbashev brought the Hawks’ hopes of a comeback to a screeching halt.
What’s worse? Barbashev’s tip-in was deflected off Seth Jones’ skate.
“It sucks, (them) scoring that last goal off a bad bounce,” Nazar said. “And when we’re that close and kind of rolling, feeling good with each other and happy on the bench and standing up, and then something like that goes in, that’s a little demotivating.
“But just the resilience to put in a few goals and come back in this game, it’s not easy coming back from a 5-1 deficit.”
Sorensen said, “We had a little push, turned the tide a little bit. But gave up too much.”
Sorensen praised the youth group.
“Frankie was really good, Delly stepped in and did some good things … Dacher as well, so it was positive,” he said. “But we can’t wait to be down 5-1 to play with urgency, right?
“The urgency has to be there from the get-go.”
Meanwhile, Nick Foligno scored the Hawks’ first goal, but didn’t return after the first period. Sorensen said the Hawks captain tweaked something in his lower body.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
1. The last time it was five penalties, this time it was five goals.
Five penalties undermined the Hawks in their loss to Utah. Against the Knights, they allowed five first-period goals.
That level of “generosity” has only occurred two other times by the Hawks in the last 10 seasons: March 15, 2018, in Winnipeg, and Jan. 14, 2023, vs. the Seattle Kraken.
“The frustrating part was it felt like it was self-induced,” said Connor Murphy, who had a career-high three assists. “It felt like we were the ones letting them get by us on rushes or we were the ones being careless with our breakouts or things like that.
“We didn’t do anything too magical to get our goals. I think it’s a lesson for us, that game, about just playing our game and believing and trusting that things work out when you do things the right way over time, whether you’re playing against a top team in the league or not.”
2. The Hawks deserved a power play, particularly in the third.
It’s no excuse for the Hawks’ fifth straight loss, but they didn’t get the benefit of the doubt on any calls. As a result, they didn’t get a power-play opportunity in a game for just the third time this season.
For the other games, you could argue the Hawks didn’t do enough to draw a penalty. Not this one.
In fact, Sorensen said he got the impression the referees were going to make good on their oversight as soon as an opportunity arose late in the third period.
“We talked to the refs about it too and they said, ‘Keep doing it and we’ll give you one,’” Sorensen said. “But we didn’t get one.”
Murphy agreed, “It felt like one was coming. We were out playing and had them a little more on their heels, usually that’s when one of those little stick slashes or hooks ended up being called.
“So it would have been nice to see that happen.”
Down by just a goal at one point in the third — and with all the momentum — a Hawks power play would’ve been the climactic battle of the game.
3. T.J. Brodie should give way to Nolan Allan, or any other young defenseman.
One of the most frequent questions asked is why do the Hawks insist on letting the veteran defenseman Brodie scuffle along while Allan sits on the sideline, missing opportunity after opportunity to develop his game.
On Thursday, Brodie’s turnover led to the Knights’ first goal, and he later committed a slashing penalty. He played the least minutes of any of the blueliners.
Sorensen said of Brodie, “Tough start to the game. I think he’s pressing a little bit. He’s been in and out of the lineup a little bit. He knows that he hasn’t played well.
“I think you put extra weight on your own shoulders at times, and it goes the wrong way.”
Brodie may want to play his way out of his slump, but the mandate for the second-to-last place team should be clear: All things being equal, play the kids.
“It’s something we’ll discuss,” Sorensen said.
