The Blackhawks were “pumped” to have Jonathan Toews back on the ice with them Tuesday morning, coach Luke Richardson said, but that excitement evidently depleted all their energy.
Come puck drop, the Hawks sleepwalked through a 4-1 loss to the Stars.
It was one of the most pitiful exhibitions of offense seen all season. The Hawks didn’t have a shot on goal for nearly 14 minutes to start the game and finished with only 18 shots on goal, tied for their third-lowest total of the season.
Even with the obvious deficits in talent and quantity of forwards — Jujhar Khaira’s illness forced the Hawks to dress seven defensemen (compared to 11 forwards) and deploy Ian Mitchell as a winger for some of his shifts — the Hawks lacked the scrappiness they have typically exhibited under Richardson.
“We know that we’re not as deep as a big team like Dallas, but we can still work and put pressure on them with good system play,” Richardson said. “That just wasn’t there in the beginning of the game tonight. [That] hasn’t happened that many times [this season].”
Tyler Johnson scored the Hawks’ lone goal, snapping an exasperating 14-game drought, but the weight of six consecutive losses overrode his relief.
“I would rather score when it actually matters,” Johnson said. “So I don’t really care, to be honest.”
Goalie Alex Stalock was ejected in the final minutes for arguing with the officials about forward Luke Glendening running him over while scoring the Stars’ fourth goal.
Former Hawks forward Max Domi, returning three weeks after being traded to Dallas, had an assist on the Stars’ second goal.
Injury updates
Forward Philipp Kurashev will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury suffered on a hit from Capitals forward Tom Wilson last week. The good news is his shoulder won’t need surgery, just rest. Kurashev had nine goals and 16 assists in 70 games.
Defenseman Jarred Tinordi, meanwhile, is day-to-day with a hip injury — a surprisingly favorable diagnosis.
The Hawks called up prospect Alex Vlasic for the first time this season and inserted him into the lineup in Tinordi’s place.
Saarela signs
The Hawks signed forward prospect Antti Saarela to a two-year entry-level contract that kicks in next season with an $896,250 salary-cap hit.
Saarela, a 2019 fourth-round pick, is known for his speed. He has spent his entire career in Finland, notching 18 points in 41 games this season.
