Blackhawks shut out by Avalanche despite Artyom Levshunov’s solid debut

DENVER — The Blackhawks decided to throw rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov into the fire in his NHL debut Monday, and Levshunov rewarded their faith in him.

The No. 2 overall pick handled nearly 21 minutes of ice time in a tough road environment with aplomb, even though the Hawks lost 3-0 to the Avalanche in their first shutout defeat this season.

“I was really impressed with Arty’s game, and I want to see more of that,” captain Nick Foligno said. “It’s exciting when you see his abilities and what he can do, and that’s Game One against a pretty good team over there, too. I’m encouraged by that.”

Said interim coach Anders Sorensen: “[We] saw some of the offensive stuff that we’ve talked about. I thought he defended well. I thought he was assertive. [It was a] good first step.”

Levshunov initially was slotted on the third pairing with veteran Alec Martinez in a role where he could have been somewhat sheltered. But Martinez left the game after taking a puck up high 10 minutes in, leaving the Hawks with only five available defensemen and loading more pressure on Levshunov. Sorensen deemed Martinez day-to-day after the game.

Levshunov was nonetheless unfazed. After generating two good looks on a fruitless five-on-three power play halfway through the second period, he realized he could hold his own in the NHL.

“Step by step, I was getting more confident, for sure,” Levshunov said.

He maintained sound positioning — even on a few shifts against reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon — and made responsible decisions about when to get involved offensively and when to hang back.

He made accurate breakout passes, including a beautiful 150-footer to Landon Slaggert, and demonstrated his eagerness to shoot the puck. He finished with six shot attempts, including three on goal — second on the team to Connor Bedard in both categories.

Foligno described the Hawks’ performance as one of their “best road games in a while.” But it didn’t result in a victory because MacKinnon notched his 1,000th and 1,001st career points to break open a 0-0 game early in the third period and Avalanche goalie Scott Wedgewood made absurd saves on Bedard, Foligno and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Levshunov certainly will remain in the lineup Thursday at the Sharks and Saturday at the Canucks. But his stint with the Hawks probably will be capped at nine games or fewer because that will ensure the official start of his three-year, entry-level contract “slides” to next season.

Pointed words

Foligno, when asked about the Hawks’ improved play over their last six games, fired some not-so-subtle shots at Seth Jones and the circus his late February trade request created.

“We’ve gotten rid of some distractions, so to speak, and now there’s just a group that’s trying to get better, trying to find ways to improve,” Foligno said. “Sometimes when you make hard decisions, they end up benefiting the group. I think you’re seeing a product of that where guys are playing together. They’re playing for one another. They’re playing to grow something here. And [they’re] not worried about what’s gone on or what guys are feeling.

“Everyone here is pulling on the same rope. We know we’ve got to pull ourselves out of this, and it’s a credit to all the guys that — after a lot of distractions and the deadline — we’re seeing a group that has come together here. It’s encouraging.”

Quarterbacks

Levshunov quarterbacked the second power-play unit, while Alex Vlasic continued to quarterback the first, as he has since Jones was traded. Eleven of Vlasic’s 22 assists this season have come on the power play.

“The offensive side of the game still doesn’t come as naturally for me as it does for [Seth], so I’m trying to work on that area,” Vlasic said Saturday. “[I’m] trying to move my feet and create my own chances that way.”

The Hawks’ power play entered Monday seventh in the NHL with a 25.7% conversion rate, and they were at 39.1% their last 12 games. But their 0-for-4 showing contributed to the loss.

Momentarily healthy

Forward Jason Dickinson returned after missing just more than a month with an ankle injury. Entering the game, that meant the Hawks were fully healthy, with nobody on the injured list except for out-all-year goalie Laurent Brossoit.

That hasn’t been the case much this season, and it didn’t last long because of the injury to Martinez.

Dickinson somewhat surprisingly slotted in as the first-line right wing next to Bedard. Regardless, the Hawks should benefit from having their best defensive forward back in the lineup.

Bertuzzi — mired in an 18-game goal drought — slid down to the fourth line, and four players (Pat Maroon, Philipp Kurashev, Louis Crevier and T.J. Brodie) were healthy scratches.

College timelines

With so many prospects — Ryan Greene (Boston University), Sam Rinzel (Minnesota), Oliver Moore (Minnesota), Aidan Thompson (Denver) and Dominic James (Minnesota-Duluth) — potentially turning pro when their college seasons end, the Hawks will be watching the NCAA hockey tournament closely. All those teams but Duluth are projected to make the 16-team field.

Davidson said Friday he’s rooting for everyone to make deep runs because players can gain so much experience from those high-stakes games.

But with regionals scheduled for March 28-30 and the Frozen Four not until April 10-12, Hawks prospects whose teams reach the Frozen Four will get very little time, if any, in the NHL. The Hawks are scheduled to finish their season with a road back-to-back April 14-15 against the Canadiens and Senators.