The Chicago Blackhawks are still winless through three games in the 2021-22 season. A tough home opener against the Colorado Avalanche saw the Hawks fall 4-2. A heartbreaking loss in overtime against the New Jersey Devils saw them pick up a point, but not a win. And most recently, a crushing defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins, losing 5-2. There’s been a lot of chatter about where the blame should be put, and no party is innocent in this scenario. But there are certainly more eyes being turned to the guys in the blue crease. The Chicago Blackhawks goalies are struggling, and are bringing the team down with them.
Chicago Blackhawks Goalies Under Scrutiny
Now, every hockey fan and analyst knows that 99.9% of the time, when a team is struggling, there are more than a few people to blame. It also doesn’t help that two of the Blackhawks’ starting defencemen are on the injured reserve list. Both Wyatt Kalynuk and Caleb Jones are unavailable for multiple weeks, weakening the blue line. That being said, the Blackhawks goalies are not having an ideal start to the season. And everyone who’s been legal gambling on the Blackhawks to win are not happy either.
Vezina Winner Pulled In The First Period
In the Blackhawks’ final game of their road trip, they stopped in Pittsburgh. That night was one of Marc-Andre Fleury’s worst of his career. Letting in four goals in the first period, including one just fifteen seconds in, saw him sitting on the bench for the rest of the night. Let me reiterate: the winner of the “best goalie in the league” trophy and “best goalie tandem in the league” trophy last year was benched halfway into the first period. Ouch.
The first goal saw Teddy Blueger streaking up the right-wing boards on a two-on-one. He weakly throws it to the front of the net and it slips through Fleury’s pads as he slides post to post. Five minutes later, a harmless dump in down the left-wing boards. Fleury comes out of his net to play it and waits way too long. Drew O’Connor comes flying in and in a panic, Fleury gives the puck away, making for an easy goal. The third and fourth goals weren’t totally on Fleury and were tough shots to save. However, the first two were routine plays that ended up in the back of the net and completely shifted the momentum of the game.
Is the Blackhawks’ defence anywhere near as good as the Vegas Golden Knights’ was last year? No. Does that excuse that type of performance? Also no.
Fleury sits at a horrible 7.06 goals-against average, a miserable 0.826 save percentage, and -3.8 goals saved above average. Adjusting his GAA yields an even worse 7.94. It’s obvious Fleury is struggling to find his rhythm in Chicago, and through only two starts, fans can only hope he finds it soon.
Lank The Tank’s Season Debut
There’s been a lot of talk about Kevin Lankinen after his solid performance last season, keeping a struggling team afloat. His only start was in New Jersey. Again, the opposing team scores less than 20 seconds in, this time, courtesy of Dougie Hamilton. A bad turnover in the defensive zone leads to a tipped shot for goal number one. Late in the second period, Jack Hughes wins a battle behind the net and rips a shot from the low slot that goes right by the blocker of Lankinen, one he should have been ready for.
In the middle of the third, a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle hits the post. It bounces off Lankinen and squirts behind him for an easy tuck-in goal. Again, another one on his blocker side that goes past him. The overtime winner came from Hughes, where he made some fancy moves to get Lankinen way out of position. A tough save maybe, but there’s something to be said about him overcommitting, allowing for Hughes to find the empty net.
Lankinen’s blocker side was exposed hard in that game, and it will be something he will continue to work on as the season progresses. The Devils’ offence is not the scariest in the league and giving up four to them is not a good look. While his 0.889 save percentage and 2.82 GAA aren’t as bad as Fleury’s, they aren’t nearly close to good enough to be a starting goalie.
So, What Now?
The Chicago Blackhawks goalies are in a tough scenario. Injuries to an already weak blue line make their job harder, and the remaining defencemen can hinder more than they help. However, there needs to be some blame placed on the goalies. If Fleury keeps playing like this, head coach Jeremy Colliton will have no choice but to start Lankinen. And as we’ve seen, he’s not quite ready to handle the starting position, especially in a full 82-game season. So in order for the Blackhawks to have any chance at winning games, Fleury will have to return to at least 75% of his last-season self. Or, Lankinen will need to suddenly become capable of handling 60+ games and winning most of them. If neither happens, expect to see the Chicago Blackhawks near the bottom of the standings.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
