Drew Commesso made his first NHL start Saturday against the New Jersey Devils, but a third-period meltdown dampened the milestone in a 4-1 loss at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Commesso was spectacular at times during the first two periods, including a highlight-reel save against Erik Haula, and Jason Dickinson’s second-period goal stood as the only score until early in the third period.
But two things undermined the Hawks: They failed to capitalize on Grade A looks when they had multiple chances to build on a one-goal lead, and the defense unraveled midway through the final frame, coughing up three goals in a 2-minute, 6-second span.
“We hung in there, we put the pace, and then we’ve found a way, again, to shoot ourselves in the foot,” interim coach Anders Sorensen said.
It was eerily similar to Thursday’s 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders, who scored three goals within 2:19 in the third.
Against the Devils, the Hawks “a little bit got pinned,” Sorensen said. “Some puck management issues that led to goals against.”
Dickinson’s goal represented the 19th time in 30 games the Hawks scored first.
But for all their acumen in christening the scoreboard, they’ve shown an even greater propensity for coughing up leads.
It started with Dawson Mercer’s goal 2:45 into the third, and the Hawks never answered.
“It’s collectively in this room,” Hawks captain Nick Foligno said. “It’s just understanding, why are we getting so down after a goal? It’s the reality, it’s the NHL. You’re not going to win every game with 1-nothing.
“Teams are going to score and we do it to other teams. So why are we so flustered after they score one on us? Teams now seem to come in waves and we don’t know how to handle it. …
“It shouldn’t snowball into two, three, four goals.”
The Hawks have a losing record in those situations, dropping to 8-9-2 with the defeat. Entering Saturday’s schedule, no other team had lost more than six games after scoring first.
At least the Hawks get a chance to avenge the Islanders loss, this time at United Center at 2 p.m. Sunday (CHSN).
It also will be an opportunity for Hawks players to show they can sustain some of the better practices they’ve exhibited under Sorensen after he took over for fired coach Luke Richardson.
But they’ve also shown some of the same poor tendencies under both coaches.
Bottom line: Sorensen’s off to a 1-3-0 start, and the Hawks are entrenched at the bottom of the NHL standings at 9-19-2 after losing for the seventh time in eight games.
“Anders has put in hell of a game plan,” Foligno said. “We really like the way we have to play, and we’ll play for him. We’ve just got to start playing the whole game with him.”
Here are five takeaways from the loss.
1. The Hawks couldn’t have asked for more from Commesso.
He got just a taste of the NHL in his debut Thursday against the Islanders, making two saves in 11:21 in relief of Arvid Söderblom.
He got the full platter against the Devils.
Commesso saved 20 of 24 shots on goal, but he faced 15 high-danger chances (all strengths), according to naturalstattrick.com.
“Good for him,” Sorensen said. “He had a good, strong game.”
Sorensen said he’ll talk with Commesso on Sunday about his performance.
Commesso gave up four goals in the third, but turnovers and some head-scratching plays made his job that much tougher.
Commesso answered a big challenge early during a nine-shot first period when Connor Bedard turned over the puck in the Hawks’ end and Paul Cotter fired quickly from the left circle. Commesso blocked it with his body and covered.
The goalie also held on during the first power-play opportunity for the top-ranked Devils unit, fending off the four shots, including a snow-angel save.
Commesso was under more duress during a second-period penalty kill in which the Devils put up five shots on goal, but he emerged unscathed.
However, even those highlights paled in comparison to his robbery of Haula late in the second.
Haula had camped out uncovered in the mid-slot when he took Cotter’s feed from a back-wall battle and blasted it from point-blank, but Commesso flashed a quick glove to deny him and preserve a 1-0 lead.
Then it all came crashing down in the third.
On Mercer’s goal, the Devils’ first, T.J. Brodie skated out of position trying to cut off Timo Meier, who fed Luke Hughes. Hughes drew two defenders and found Meier open on Brodie’s side and backhanded a pass cross-ice for the tip-in.
It didn’t help that Commesso overplayed the Hughes threat and left the backdoor wide open.
It would be hard to find much fault with Commesso in goals by Hughes, Nico Hischier and Meier, all in just over two minutes.
Hughes and Jesper Bratt call themselves “peanut butter and jelly,” but it was Hawks defenders who found themselves in a jam.
They were hemmed in for nearly 2½ minutes and were absolutely gassed when the puck landed on Wyatt Kaiser’s stick.
Inexplicably Kaiser hesitated before starting a breakout — even icing would’ve been a relief — but a moment’s delay allowed Bratt to bump him and strip him.
The puck made its way to Hughes, who picked a corner on Commesso from the slot.
“Once you get tired like that, the brain starts to shut down,” Dickinson said. “You stop seeing the open ice, you stop seeing the other options … or you miss a guy on your backside because you’re so focused on what’s in front of you, and you’re not able to see the whole ice.
“So it gets a lot tougher once you’re that gassed to really make the best possible play.”
On Hischier’s goal, the Hawks were on the attack. But Kevin Korchinski made an ill-advised pass to the middle.
Hischier easily picked it off, and he worked a give-and-go counter with Bratt and tucked it five-hole on Commesso.
Meier stuck a stake in the Hawks with his goal to cap the scoring.
The Hawks’ legs looked heavy, like all the fight had left them, while defending the rush. Commesso didn’t have much help in front when Meier put in a short rebound off Mercer’s shot.
“He made some unbelievable saves too,” Foligno said about Commesso, adding the Hawks shouldn’t rely on their goaltenders to win games outright.
“That’s a sign of a bad hockey team,” Foligno said. “If Commesso has to pitch a shut out in his first NHL game, it’s a great feather in his cap, but it’s not a good sign for us.”
2. Frank Nazar made his season debut.
He played 14:01 and centered a line with Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi.
For all his offensive promise, Nazar didn’t take a shot until the third period. And he was 1-for-7 on faceoffs.
Still, Nazar had the makings of a prime chance during a second-period two-on-one with Hall, though Hall’s pass was deflected.
Yet, Nazar received nearly four minutes of power-play time and didn’t get off a shot. In fact, the Hawks managed only two shots on goal in three chances.
Give Nazar some grace for his first NHL game since April, but he needs to show a bit more aggressiveness in the likelihood he gets another start Sunday.
While the Hawks could be more proactive setting up plays for him, he’s at least the beneficiary of a hot combination in Hall and Bertuzzi.
3. Bertuzzi exemplified the Hawks’ missed opportunities.
Bertuzzi came a crossbar away from extending his goal streak to three games.
Bedard looked dazzling dangling his way to a short-range shot but skipped it off the crossbar, one of two shots that drew iron.
Philipp Kurashev also had a shot hit the post.
Ryan Donato had a game-high six shot attempts blocked.
It’s not that unusual on the surface, but those missed opportunities loom larger when you take only 18 shots on goal.
4. The Hawks kept the penalty-kill streak alive.
The PK extended its shutout for an eighth game. The Hawks held the Devils out the net for three power plays Saturday, keeping their ledger clean for 21 opportunities.
“We’re proud of that,” Foligno said. “Special teams has to win in games. (But) “that power play, where we have a chance to put the game up 2-nothing — got to find a way. That’s the point of the season we’re at right now, where special teams can make a big difference in wins and losses.”
5. The third period needs a solution — and fast.
Sorensen inherited many of the Hawks’ problems, but he has been tasked with solving them.
One of them is the Hawks’ minus-23 goal differential in the third period, by far the league’s worst.
Yes, there are mitigating factors, such as their 12 empty-net goals (second most), but it’s hard to make that an argument when you’ve given up seven third-period goals combined in the last two games.
Just like it was with Richardson, it’s not one particular deficiency or bad habit that consistently dooms the Hawks.
“If we had the answer, I’m not sure we would do it, but we’re chipping away at it,” Sorensen said. “We’re talking about it, looking at it, and (it’s) probably more of a mindset than anything.
“I don’t think it has to do anything with the structure or players. It’s more of a mindset as a group that we’ve got to realize those situations and just be better.”
