ELMONT, N.Y. — Scoring first hasn’t been a problem for the Blackhawks this season, but maintaining momentum after doing so has been.
That was the case under ex-coach Luke Richardson, and it was again Thursday under interim coach Anders Sorensen in a 5-4 loss to the Islanders.
Forward Connor Bedard gave the Hawks an early lead — the 18th time in 29 games they’ve gone up 1-0, the most in the NHL this season. But the Islanders ripped off five consecutive goals before holding on for the win, dropping the Hawks to 8-8-2 when scoring first and 9-18-2 overall.
“We were in the game up until the 10-minute mark of the second period, and [then we] started getting away from things,” forward Tyler Bertuzzi said. “It carried on to the third, and we can’t let that happen.”
The Hawks were not only in the game but controlling play before a goaltender-interference penalty against Philipp Kurashev led to the Islanders’ tying goal. That changed the mood entirely, and the hosts subsequently blew things open with three goals less than three minutes apart in the third period, chasing Hawks goalie Arvid Soderblom, who had a rough night.
Bertuzzi scored twice in the final 70 seconds to make the final score look more respectable, and Bedard also tallied two assists during the late-game rally.
The 19-year-old star now touts five points in three games under Sorensen, and his goal Thursday came off a slick move and an even prettier shot that will air on repeat in his highlight reels for a while. It was an encouraging sign about his rebounding confidence.
Another encouraging sign was the scoring-chance totals during five-on-five play: 28 for the Hawks, 13 for the Islanders. That marked the Hawks’ largest positive differential of the season, and it came on the heels of another strong performance Monday against the Islanders.
Sorensen’s systems worked well overall despite the poor goaltending, even though the coach wasn’t thrilled after the game.
“We did some good things, but then again, the mental lapses we had there in the second and in the third [are] something we’ve got to clean up,” Sorensen said. “We’re all aware of what we need to do here. It’s just a matter of working through it. Last game was a step forward, and then [this was] a little step back.”
Commesso debuts
Goalie prospect Drew Commesso had been preparing all week to make his NHL debut during the Hawks’ back-to-back set this weekend, but his arrival came earlier than expected. He said “excitement and joy” ran through his head when Sorensen signaled he would replace Soderblom for the final 12 minutes Thursday. He ended up facing only two shots, stopping both.
The 22-year-old Massachusetts native has struggled in the AHL this fall after success for three years at Boston University and last season in Rockford. He’ll make his first NHL start Saturday at New Jersey or Sunday at home against the Islanders.
Injury updates
Veteran defenseman Alec Martinez, previously day-to-day with a neck injury,
left midway through practice Wednesday and flew back to Chicago for further evaluation. Sorensen resisted saying Martinez suffered a setback.
Defenseman Seth Jones seems to be getting closer to returning to the lineup after a foot injury. Sorensen said he’ll skate in the next few days. It has been a little more than three weeks since Jones was ruled out for four weeks.