The Kings blew out the Blackhawks 5-0 on Friday at the United Center.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Landon Slaggert’s NHL debut Friday — a 5-0 Blackhawks shutout loss against the Kings — probably didn’t play out in the exact way he had dreamed.
His first shift came shorthanded and lasted only 12 seconds. By the time he was sent back over the boards for his first career even-strength shift, the Hawks already trailed 1-0. By the end of his first professional period, the Hawks were buried, 4-0.
Slaggert at least managed to avoid getting dinged for any goals against during his 10:32 of ice time. Nearly 40 people — including all of his former Notre Dame teammates, plus some friends and family — packed two suites in the United Center to cheer him on.
“It was…good to get my feet wet,” Slaggert said. “The guys did a great job making me feel comfortable.”
The “guys” also made some egregious defensive errors, however, allowing the game to get out of hand early and forcing coach Luke Richardson to quickly pull starting goalie Arvid Soderblom.
For example, the third Kings goal — the first of two scored by captain Anze Kopitar — happened because Philipp Kurashev duplicated Jaycob Megna’s assignment on the backcheck and Kevin Korchinski got mesmerized by the puck. That left the two most dangerous areas of the ice — the slot and the back door — wide open for Quinton Byfield and Kopitar to exploit.
“We didn’t have our best game, but [the Kings] really played well,” Richardson said. “They’re a big, heavy team. We had a hard time winning puck battles, and I thought that was a big difference.”
The Hawks were shut out for the 10th time this season, representing a major regression to the mean after their 14-goal eruption during their last two outings. They haven’t won three consecutive games yet this year.
Reichel returns
The Hawks quietly called young forward Lukas Reichel back up from the AHL on Friday.
Reichel didn’t completely dominate the minor leagues during his month-long stint in Rockford, but he did play well, tallying seven points in nine games. The first six of those points were all assists, but he finally found the net Wednesday in what turned out to be his final appearance during the stint.
Only 15 games remain in the Hawks’ season, so the 21-year-old German will have one last chance over the next few weeks to rediscover his offensive playmaking abilities and generate some optimism heading into the summer.
“This is a good time to get him back here, while his confidence is at a higher level compared to when he left,” Richardson said. “As we’re a little healthier unit now, as well, we can get him with some players that can complement him and help him out.”