TAKEAWAYS: Blackhawks Fall 4-2 to Capitals  

After the Chicago Blackhawks hosted a four-game homestand this week, they ended the series with a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday night. 

The Blackhawks outshot their opponents 34-27 throughout the matchup but felt the frustration kick back in when the momentum began to shift towards the Capitals’ directions. 

“It's not like we were terrible tonight, it's just the outcome of the game wasn't there and we didn't stay long enough [with] the things we needed to do to play well,” Connor Murphy said. 

One of the positives that stuck out for Chicago included the team’s penalty kill that went 3-for-3 and more shot production from the offense, according to head coach Luke Richardson.

However, the Blackhawks struggled to keep up with the Capitals as they continued to push a more physical game to produce their scoring chances. 

“They just picked up their intensity,” Nick Foligno said. “You can see it, they just got more physical and we didn't match that, so it's disappointing.” 

Philipp Kurashev netted the first goal for the Blackhawks early in the second period to help the team gain an early lead. A few minutes later, Capitals’ forward Anthony Mantha responded with a goal to tie the matchup at 1-1 before Washington took the lead later in the period.

From there, the Capitals showed the way they could battle back and rallied with two more goals to extend their lead. With their extra goals, they were able to bounce back quickly and took advantage of a tired Blackhawks’ shift. 

“I think it's just being aware that you have to stay with it, like knowing that it's short shifts, keeping the pace at the same level because once you extend the shifts, our pace started to go down, and our battle level went down,” Richardson said. 

Despite a loss tonight, the Blackhawks wrapped up a four-game homestand with a 2-1-1 record, where they started to find the team’s identity. 

While they still have some things to work on as they head on a two-game road trip in Edmonton and Seattle, Foligno felt the team is starting to find their game. 

“It's a step in the right direction, but still a long way to go,” Foligno said. “We can rally around the fact that our game is starting to come.”