ELMONT, N.Y. — When Taylor Hall said that the Blackhawks would be scoring “three, four, five goals on a lot of nights,” this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.
But if you’re looking for positives from Chicago’s 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday night, there are positives to be found. Connor Bedard had his first three-point game since Nov. 3, including one of those unbelievable goals that just about only Bedard can score. Tyler Bertuzzi continued to look more engaged than he has all season under interim coach Anders Sorensen, scoring two late goals and putting five shots on goal for the second straight game. And the Blackhawks showed plenty of fight, clawing their way back into the game after Arvid Söderblom gave up three goals in a 2-minute, 19-second span in the third period to fall behind 5-2. Drew Commesso making his NHL debut in relief and perhaps giving the team a little spark was a nice little bonus.
If you’re looking for negatives from the game, there are plenty of those to be found, too. The Blackhawks scored first for the league-leading 18th time, but lost for the 10th time in those games. After a strong first period, they seemed to lose their grasp of Sorensen’s systemic tweaks and reverted to their old sloppy ways, particularly in the neutral zone. The turnovers piled up, the forecheck lost its cohesiveness, and the Blackhawks lost control of the game.
“We kind of started getting away from things, and it carried on to the third,” Bertuzzi said. “And we can’t let that happen.”
If you’re looking for a more balanced view of the game, it’s pretty simple — the Blackhawks under Sorensen remain very much a work in progress, and on some nights, that work feels equivalent to rolling a boulder uphill for all eternity. It’ll take time for Sorensen’s changes — on the forecheck, in the offensive zone, on breakouts — to really sink in and become second nature, not something the Blackhawks have to actively think about as they play a game that can only be played well on instinct.
The Blackhawks might be better under Sorensen than they were under Luke Richardson. But they’re not going to be perfect. Not by a long shot. Roller-coaster periods like the third period at UBS Arena might be the norm for a little while.
“We’re all aware of what we need to do here,” Sorensen said. “It’s just a matter of working through it. Last game was a step forward, and then a little step back here. So let’s get back at it.”
It was the kind of play, the kind of shot, that’s so mesmerizing, so ethereal, that it numbs your brain a bit and makes you ask dumb questions with a dumb look on your face. Questions like, “Well, why doesn’t he just do that all the time?”
When you see Bedard pounce on a loose puck in the slot and then toe-drag his way around the Islanders’ top defensive pair of Ryan Pulock and Alexander Romanov before unleashing a ridiculous shot across his body — the puck tucking in at the right post as his body veers to the left side — and beat one of the best goaltenders in the world, Ilya Sorokin, cleanly on the glove side, you’re reminded that all the teeth-gnashing over the sophomore’s modest statistics is largely unfounded. He can still do things that hardly anybody in the world can do. And he’s still the second-youngest player in the league. He’s going to be just fine.
Connor Bedard with a ridiculous shot for his 6th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ZhaxnpMNZO
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 13, 2024
“That was a high-level, high-skill play,” Sorensen said.
Bedard assisted on both of Bertuzzi’s third-period goals, giving him a goal and four assists in three games under Sorensen. He now has six goals and 18 assists in 29 games. Perhaps most importantly, he’s starting to show signs of the aggressiveness that marked his rookie season, and disappeared during his November lull. He had four shots on goal in the first period alone Thursday night — one more than he had in the previous four games combined.
Perhaps no player has benefitted from the coaching change more than Bertuzzi, who looked like a shell of his havoc-wreaking self for most of the season. He’s been far more engaged since Sorensen dialed up the forecheck, a style that suits Bertuzzi as well as anyone. Not surprisingly, both of his goals came within 10 feet of the net. He cashed in a Taylor Hall feed at the side of the net, then gained position in the goalmouth and had Alex Vlasic’s shot from the point bank in off him.
“He’s moving his feet a lot,” Sorensen said. “He’s in the certain areas where he scores goals. He seems to be winning some puck battles and coming up with second and third efforts. And keeping pucks alive is huge.”
Bertuzzi isn’t exactly the gushing type when talking with reporters, but he’s clearly embracing — and enjoying — the renewed focus on the forecheck.
“We like it,” he said. “We’re playing faster, we’re getting on pucks, our forecheck’s better, we’re creating turnovers.”
Commesso has now dressed for his first NHL game in New York and got into his first NHL game in Elmont. But he still might get his rookie solo lap during warmups when he makes his first NHL start either Saturday in New Jersey or Sunday at the United Center against the Islanders — even though he’s already gone through warmups a couple times. Just one of those quirks that comes with being a goalie.
Easing his way in like this has helped calm Commesso’s nerves.
“Being up (here) has given me a sense of comfort, just being around it,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “Practices, as well. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable since I’ve been here, just adjusting to the speed and pace. I’m just really grateful to be here and have a chance (to play).”
Instead of having all day to think about his debut, Commesso was thrown into Thursday’s game at 7:58 of the third period, after Söderblom gave up his fifth goal of the night. Physically, that’s more of a challenge. Mentally, it might have been easier. Commesso stopped both shots he saw.
“It was nice,” Commesso said. “First off, (I) wish for a different outcome for the team. I think that’s the first thing that comes to mind. But I’m really grateful for the opportunity and I was just really blessed to be put in this position to have an opportunity to fill one of my lifelong dreams to play in the NHL.”
Commesso’s first NHL game as a backup was a doozy — at Madison Square Garden, giving him a close-up view of Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. He knows his time in the NHL might be short — though Petr Mrázek has yet to skate since injuring his groin Sunday against Winnipeg — and he’s trying to soak it all in and learn as much as he can. It’s all been pretty cool for a guy who entered the season fourth on the depth chart.
“Playing against Shesterkin was pretty cool to watch,” Commesso said. “I watch every single one of his games. I love the way he plays and I really just study him and pick up things he does. My eyes were glued on him all game, just picking up things and how he plays. It’s been a great learning experience being here.”
It’s difficult for any player to describe the 24 hours that follow being placed on waivers. Are you going to clear? Are you going to get claimed? Do you want to get claimed so you get a better opportunity elsewhere? Do you not want to get claimed because the next opportunity won’t necessarily be better? Do you not want to get claimed because you have family considerations, because playing for a nearby AHL team is better than being sent to a far-flung NHL team?
All these questions race through a player’s head when he’s on waivers. When you’re home, at least you can busy your mind with chores, with errands, with your kids. When you’re on the road? All you can do is think about it. And think about it. And think about it.
“It’s a little uneasy,” said Joey Anderson, who was waived by the Blackhawks on Sunday, the same day they left for a weeklong trip in New York. “You just try to kill as much time as you can during those 24 hours.”
For what it’s worth, Anderson very much did not want to get claimed. With two young daughters at home, he’s put down some roots in Chicago, having signed a two-year contract over the summer. And much to his relief, Anderson cleared.
Interestingly enough, he also stayed in the NHL. A minor injury to Craig Smith even got him in the lineup Monday against the Rangers, his first appearance in more than two weeks. But even though the Blackhawks won, Anderson was back in the press box Thursday on Long Island as Smith returned to the lineup. It was the 16th time he’s been a healthy scratch this season. Even though he’s one of just five Blackhawks with a positive goal differential at five-on-five, he’s stuck in that role as the 13th forward.
“He had a good game (against the Rangers), a strong game,” said Sorensen, who had Anderson in Rockford for 14 games last season. “It’s a little bit of a numbers game, but he’s a pro. He gets it and he’s ready to go. Unfortunately, that’s what happens sometimes at this level. But we’re really happy with where he’s at, and we know he’s always ready to go. That’s a huge benefit for us as a group.”
Of course, by clearing waivers, Anderson can be sent to Rockford at any moment for the next four weeks. So that’ll be hanging over his head for a month, the way waivers did for a day. That’s life on the roster fringe.
“I hope I get back in soon,” he said. “But whatever their plan is for me, you show up with a good attitude, be a good teammate, try to lighten the mood with the guys, and work hard when you’re out there. You just do your job.”
(Top photo of Connor Bedard and Taylor Hall: Jared Silber / NHLI via Getty Images)
