Ilya Mikheyev Burns His Old Team, Blackhawks Lose 4-1 To Lightning

The Chicago Blackhawks, one night after being blown out by the Florida Panthers, had to travel across the state to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa, like Florida, has Stanley Cup aspirations and has for the entire 2020s decade. 

Despite dealing with some off-ice drama with their superstar Nikita Kucherov, who wants to be traded, they have been incredible between the whistles. With all of the talent they have up and down their roster, and the great Jon Cooper as their head coach, they are a contender once again. 

For the Blackhawks, the first back-to-back situation of the season. Arvid Soderblom made his 4th start of the season, giving Spencer Knight an incredibly rare game off.

Most people went in thinking that the Blackhawks had a very small chance of winning this game. The Lightning had fresh legs, a better roster, and a Hall of Fame goalie in the net. Those people were right, as the Hawks were blown out once again. 

The Lightning scored two goals in the first period and then two in the third to take a 4-0 lead over the Blackhawks. Two of those goals were scored by former Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev, who is dearly missed in the Chicago lineup for a variety of reasons. 

Mikheyev is an outstanding middle-six forward who is an elite penalty killer, and the Blackhawks could use some depth players like him right about now. As things continue to fall, players like him become more and more needed. 

The Blackhawks did cancel Andrei Vasilevskiy's shutout bid when Roman Kantserov extended his point streak to 7 games, with his 8th goal of the season. Those 8 goals lead all NHL rookies. It's been a great start for him, but it was too little, too late for the Hawks. 

Soderblom hardly played well, but he faced 35 shots, while the Hawks only put 26 on Vasilevskiy. Every single night, they get blown out in all areas of the ice. They don't control tempo, make smart decisions with or without the puck, or play with an edge. 

This was one of those expected losses for the Blackhawks, and it somehow turned out to be even worse. From the moment the puck dropped, they didn't seem to have a chance to win. You can't help but wonder when some sort of change is made. 

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What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will close out this very difficult road trip with a visit to the Carolina Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup champions. 

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