The Chicago Blackhawks paid their second visit to the state of Utah on Tuesday night to play the Utah Hockey Club. Their first game came within the first week of the season on October 8th, 2024 where they lost 5-2.
In their second matchup of the season and second in St. Lake City, the Blackhawks lost 2-1 but it was about as lopsided as the first matchup. For Chicago, the score wasn’t indicative of how they played.
Utah had the edge in chances, shots, and puck possession throughout the entire game. Arvid Soderblom made 34 saves on 36 shots and that is the only reason that the Blackhawks even had a slight chance to win in the end. Utah had 93 shot attempts and the Blackhawks only had 39. That is pure domination.
Seth Jones, who has requested a trade very publically, scored Chicago’s only goal in the first period. From there, they tried to hang on but Utah finally tied it when Clayton Keller scored in the last minute of the second period.
In the third period, Lawson Crouse gave Utah the lead that they more than deserved. That was all Utah needed to earn the win. This match was a motivated team fighting for their playoff lives against a lowly team that looked like they had nothing to play for.
The Hawks are now losers of three straight following the 4-Nations Face-Off Break. None of those losses provide even a glimmer of hope.
The trade deadline is just over a week away and it’s hard to see this organization doing nothing. They have to make some kind of change to not only better their future but also to shake up this current group that isn’t getting any better.
This was a bad way to kick off the road trip and it doesn’t get any easier from here. They have a date with the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. For Chicago to have even a glimmer of hope in that one, they must be better in every way.
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