TAKEAWAYS: Blackhawks Lose Momentum Early in Defeat to Coyotes

On his first shot on goal of the night, Connor Bedard put the Chicago Blackhawks on the board to start the contest off but it wouldn’t be enough to defeat the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.

Chicago started the game off strong with high momentum from Bedard’s goal, but Seth Jones noticed that the team failed to build off it between the offense and defense. With failed battles and chances, it all added to the team’s devastating 8-1 final at Mullett Arena.

“We came out very hot, very good and then think we thought it was going to be an easy night,” Jones said. “So that's what happens in this league, every team is going to make plays and we didn't battle hard enough, I think.”

Jones also noted that the team simply could not help the Blackhawks netminders who faced a total of 33 shots.

While some might think the team might have come in too confident after Friday’s tilt against Vegas, Nick Foligno doesn’t consider that as an excuse for the way the team played. As younger players continue to learn the challenges of the league, the veteran forward stated that the team overall has to figure out how to play the correct way.

“There's really good teams in this league and if we're trying to become one of them, there's a right and wrong way to play,” Foligno said. “Tonight, everything that could go wrong did and there's no excuse.”

One that Jones and head coach Luke Richardson both agreed on after the game is the team’s continuing struggle of consistency.

“I think we're still maturing as a team,” Richardson said. “I think we have to learn to play every game the same way.”

With the two-game road trip complete, the Blackhawks won’t play their next game until Saturday night against the Florida Panthers.

As the team looks to prepare for their next opponent, Foligno hopes this will allow players to reflect on how this loss made them feel and what they need to work on to become a tougher roster to face. Now, they will have to bring their competitive energy to practice this week to continue to build the new standards.

“I know our practice the other day before Vegas, that was a big reason why we had the game we had,” Foligno said. So, we better have that that mentality this week and get ready for a big one on Saturday.”