ANALYSIS: Reichel Returns for Third Stint, Chicago Lacks Urgency in Loss

Off the ice, it was a historic night for as Marian Hossa signed a one-day contract to retire a Blackhawk and then was announced as
the first of the championship core to have his number retired by the franchise
.
On the ice, it was a forgetful night as Chicago was shut out by the Seattle Kraken, 2-0.
"No urgency. Too many passengers. It's that simple. That's it in a nutshell," interim head coach Derek King said. "[Kevin Lankinen] played a great game. He had no support. I'm going to have to address that."

POSTGAME LINKS
GAMECENTER: CHI vs. SEA
RECAP: Blackhawks Blanked by Kraken, 2-0
NEWS: Blackhawks to Retire Marian Hossa's No. 81
HIGHLIGHTS: Blackhawks vs. Kraken
GALLERY: Blackhawks vs. Kraken
INSIDER: A Conversation with Marian Hossa
Lankinen made 29 stops on the night, including a perfect 17-for-17 in a lopsided first period that saw the Blackhawks register just three shots the other way.
"It's unacceptable," Alex DeBrincat said, with Chicago's winless streak reaching six straight games. "Even though we're out of the playoffs, we want to win games. It sucks losing. It's no fun. I think we're battling hard for two of three periods in those games, but it's not enough. We've got to find a way to score some goals and play a full 60. It's been our downfall most of the year and it's why we're in the position we are."
Down 1-0 in the second, the Blackhawks had a prime opportunity to get back into the game with 1:56 of a 5-on-3 advantage, and still two minutes of a 5-on-4 power play after that. Chicago didn't manage a single shot on goal in the two-man advantage and Lukas Reichel logged the lone shot of the stretch after Seattle got a man back.
On another power play late in the third, the Blackhawks hit a pair of posts. Soon after, Seattle found their second goal to put the game away.
"Those are goals you need to score in the game, especially in a tight game like that," DeBrincat said. "We've just got to be better."
"When you don't score on a 5-on-3, the chances of winning the game is pretty slim," King said. "They just kind of stood there and were stickhandling and looking at each other. They didn't create anything, we just kind of stood there."

REICHEL RETURNS

Thursday started the third NHL stint for rookie Lukas Reichel, recalled from the Rockford IceHogs on Tuesday evening. The mantra all season with the 2020 first-round pick has been patience, not wanting to rush him along too fast. Reichel has seen two- and three-game stints over his first two stays, allowing him to get a taste of the action and then go back to improve certain areas of his game with heavy minutes in the minors.
"In Rockford I had a lot of ice time and when I was [called up] you get experience and you learn from those games and try to work on those weaknesses," he explained. "Now I'll try to play my game."
Down the stretch, it's one final test for the 19 year old before getting his first taste of playoff action with the IceHogs.
"He's going to see some ice time," King said, acknowledging he doesn't know exactly how many games Reichel will get the third time around. "I think it's great. They did a great job of being patient with him, like we've talked about. Now we'll give him some reps and see how he is."
"I just want to play as many games in the NHL as I can," Reichel added. "I just want to play my best game and (see) what happens. If I play 15 games, 10 games, 9 games, I just want to play good. It doesn't matter."
At different points in his career Reichel has played both on the wing and at center. When Chicago drafted him, he was a winger with Germany's Eisbaren Berlin, but transitioned to playing center last season in Germany. Most of his season, both in the NHL and AHL, has seen him play down the middle, but King tested out the rookie on the left flank of Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach against the Kraken, both as a way to lighten some of the responsibilities defensively early in his NHL stint, as well as the opportunity to play alongside one of the game's best two-way centers.
"Reichs, he's a pretty special player," King said. "Dach has been building up on playing both ends of the rink and then obviously Toews, don't play 1,000 games by being lucky. That guy's a great hockey player, so I think the three of them can help each other. Being on the wing can maybe help his game, not worrying about playing down low with the big guys... I like the whole dynamic of all three different types of players and they'll help each other."
"I think wing you focus more on offense," Reichel said, admitting he doesn't care where he plays, as long as he's in. "Of course, you play defense too, but it's more like you don't have to do that much in the D zone. So I try to focus more on the offensive side."