The Blackhawks’ hard work isn’t enough to prevent another loss to the Avalanche

DENVER — Twice this January, the Blackhawks have kept pace with the Avalanche. Twice, they have still been defeated.

First came a 4-3 extra-time loss at home on January 4, when Cale Makar’s stunning game-winner overshadowed a stunning Hawks comeback.

Then came Monday’s 2-0 loss at Colorado, where the Hawks worked hard and put their sticks to the pucks all night, but ultimately couldn’t figure out Avs goalie Pavel Francouz.

“We all thought that it could have been a similar situation. [to Jan. 4] tonight,” said Patrick Kane. “We worked pretty hard for two and a half terms. Maybe we didn’t have a big enough boost in the third [period] to level the game.”

Still, Kane can’t help but look at the Avalanche, a team packed with talent, sure of their identity and enjoying life atop the NHL mountain, having won 16 straight at home and 25 of their last 30. in general, and it feels simultaneous. pangs of nostalgia and jealousy.

“Yeah, sounds like a fun way to play, huh?” he said, smiling. “Perhaps in the past, you took it for granted a bit.”

The Hawks have now lost four in a row, and eight of 12 since the break, despite playing fairly well in their last two outings. After Saturday’s overtime loss to the Wild, they entered the third period on Monday trailing 1-0 and nearly tied when Philipp Kurashev just missed an open net from a tight angle.

However, against the best teams in the Western Conference, they are learning that playing well enough often isn’t enough.

“[We made] just a couple of mistakes, and when you’re playing against a great team, two mistakes will cost you,” interim coach Derek King said. “There were times when we competed the right way, and other times we lowered our level of competition a little lower than it should be and they capitalized. That’s why it’s one of the best teams in the league.”

One bright spot over the past two games has been the emerging chemistry of an unusual trio: Jonathan Toews centering Alex DeBrincat and Sam Lafferty. They were clearly the Blackhawks’ most active and dangerous front line on Monday, with Lafferty’s speed helping to “drive the pace,” King said, for an increasingly stable Toews and an ever-dangerous DeBrincat.

However, even that line eventually made a significant mistake, letting Mikko Rantanen slide behind them all and wait for Marc-Andre Fleury to score the gut-wrenching goal with 13:19 remaining.

The final stats were closer than you’d expect for this lopsided matchup on paper, with the Avalanche finishing with leads of just 62-55 in shot attempts, 29-23 in shots on goal and 34-26 in scoring opportunities. On the other hand, Avalanche still had more than the three of them.

“We had some chances early on, some good looks,” Kane said. “[It] It would have been nice to take the lead, play the lead against a team like that. His goalkeeper played well. I still think we probably could have created a little bit more.”