Anders Sorensen had no idea this week he was going to become the next coach of the Chicago Blackhawks.
“No warning, blitzed,” he said Saturday before his debut against the Winnipeg Jets.
Sorensen saw his dream come true Saturday as he took his perch behind the Hawks bench in his first game as interim coach since replacing Luke Richardson on Thursday only 26 games into the season. But if the Hawks continue their current path to oblivion in Year 3 of general manager Kyle Davidson’s rebuild, the 49-year-old Sorensen may want to go out and get blitzed.
The Hawks dropped a 4-2 decision to the Jets in Sorensen’s debut in a United Center matinee, finishing with only 14 shots on goal in their fifth straight loss.
“It sucks, it’s a bad feeling in here, especially the way they scored those goals,” captain Nick Foligno said.
Sorensen will get an extended audition to prove the success he enjoyed at Rockford was no fluke. Whether he can replicate that with a team that has as many holes as the Hawks remains to be seen.
Arvid Söderblom, who replaced an injured Petr Mrázek midway through the first period, played well in a losing effort. Mrázek took himself out with an undisclosed lower-body injury, and Sorensen said he would be sidelined “for a little bit.” Alec Martinez also was injured when a shot deflected off his face and left on a stretcher. Sorensen said Martinez was being evaluated and also would miss some time.
Sorensen is the latest in an ongoing series of new leaders on Chicago’s professional sports scene. Davidson said a “new voice was needed,” which also was the Hawks’ objective in June when they fired TV broadcaster Chris Vosters and replaced him with veteran Rick Ball.
Perhaps they will come up with some new clichés for their next firing, which figures to be Davidson if they don’t turn things around by next year.
Sorensen said the Hawks know what changes need to be made.
“We feel like we do,” he said. “There’s no secrets, right? We need to get on the attack a little bit more, we need to find ways to score more goals and play to our strengths that way.”
Of course it’s hard to score when you don’t shoot. Sorensen said the Jets hemmed the Hawks in and kept them on their heels.
“When you have to turn around and find pucks constantly, it’s a tough way to play,” he said.
It took nine minutes for the new-era Hawks to put a single shot on goal. Alex Vlasic’s slap shot past Connor Hellebuyck on a power play gave the Hawks the lead at 9:01 of the first period, but the Jets answered on a tip-in by Gabriel Vilardi past Mrázek 4½ minutes later.
Martinez’s first goal as a Hawk, a wrister over Hellbuyck’s left shoulder with 13 seconds left in the opening period, put the hosts back in front. But the Jets dominated the second period, holding the Hawks to three shots on goal and tying it on Nino Niederreiter’s backhander at the 13:10 mark.
Mark Scheifele gave the Jets their first lead midway through the third on a rebound of Kyle Connor’s shot into a wide open net with Söderblom out of position. Jason Dickinson blamed himself.
“I had to do more defensively tonight, and I didn’t,” he said. “That’s what tonight’s challenge was, and it wasn’t met. The results are what the results are because of it.”
Mason Appleton’s empty-netter, the 12th against the Hawks this season, ended any dream of a comeback. The Hawks were outshot 21-6 the final two periods.
“It’s hard to play from behind against a team that knows how to win,” Foligno said.
It’s hard to say who has the toughest job of the three recent replacements of our legacy teams — the White Sox’s Will Venable, the Bears’ Thomas Brown or Sorensen. No one expects much from the Sox or Hawks, both of whom are miles away from contending.
The Hawks entered Day One of the Sorensen era last in the standings and second to last in goals per game (2.42), with only one player scoring more than seven — Ryan Donato’s 10. Superstar-in-waiting Connor Bedard has been in an early-season slump with only five goals after his Rookie of the Year season, and his development is the key to the rebuild.
It’s Sorensen’s task to unlock Bedard’s potential, which Richardson failed to do despite trying different line combinations to get him going.
“When you make a change like this, it’s not about one player,” Davidson said. “Obviously Connor is essential to what we’re doing now and in the future, but it’s more of a big-picture number of different things than one specific player. Having said that, I believe Anders’ experience with some of our high-end players now and some of the players he has experience with from other organizations in his time in the game of hockey will be very beneficial to Connor.
“I’m very optimistic he’ll have a really positive relationship and that he’ll be able to bring some ideas and thoughts to his game that Connor will find useful. I think it’s going to be a good partnership there, but this wasn’t something I did … based on Connor. It was more of a team thing than anything else.”
Philipp Kurashev, one of the primary reasons Richardson felt compelled to switch things up, was back on Bedard’s line Saturday. Sorensen suggested he would let them play together again to see if they can jell.
“I just know him and Connor were a dynamic duo last year and we’re going to try to get them back to that level,” Sorensen said. “When he plays at his best, he’s skating, he’s inside of contact and he’s inside the dots, playing with his feet moving.”
Bedard had an assist but no shots on goal.
The Hawks have been more competitive this season but can’t seem to handle leads. They blew a 2-0 lead against Philadelphia on Nov. 23 in a 3-2 overtime loss and a 2-0 lead to Minnesota on Nov. 29 in a 3-2 loss, the first of four straight losses that ended Richardson’s time in Chicago.
“I don’t know the number off the top of my head, but there have been a bunch of games we were leading and we ended up giving away,” Dickinson said Friday. “Was it the Minnesota game that sealed the coffin? I don’t know. But it was a trend that was repeating itself, and it needs to stop.”
Sorensen admitted to having some “good nervousness” before Saturday’s game. His wife, mother-in-law and two daughters were on hand for the debut. Everything was in place for a memorable opener, but in the end the Hawks reverted to being the Hawks.
Now it’s off to New York to play the Rangers, Islanders and New Jersey Devils.
“Maybe it’s good that we get on the road and get to know Anders a little bit better just by being around,” Foligno said. “We’re going to have to keep working at this. It’s not just going to turn around in one day. Obviously we’d like it to. It would’ve been nice to get him that first win, but we’re going to find a way to get it in New York.”
