Panthers Complete Season Sweep Of Blackhawks With 5-3 Win In Sunrise

· Yahoo Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida, on Wednesday night. This was their fourth straight loss, and they are now 4-11-1 through 16 games this season. They are also still winless on the road following this loss. 

Like every other game this season, the Blackhawks were thoroughly outplayed in almost every area of the game. Before the opening period was 5 minutes old, the Panthers had a 1-0 lead, and they took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. 

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In the second period, the Hawks started to find their legs a little more, and the shot counter started to even out. They weren't all quality shots compared to those of the Panthers, but it was an undoubted improvement over the first period. 

Despite their better play, it was Florida that scored the first goal of the period. Seth Jones threw one on Spencer Knight, and it beat him to make it 3-0. It's a tough goal for Knight, who was traded for Jones, to give up.

The Blackhawks did respond before the period was over, however. Roman Kantserov scored his 7th goal of the season to get the Blackhawks on the board. This ended a stretch of 8 unanswered goals given up by the Blackhawks, going back to their previous game against the Colorado Avalanche. 

Kantserov, who leads the Blackhawks in goals, also leads all NHL rookies. This marker passed James Hagens of the Boston Bruins and Trevor Connelly of the Vegas Golden Knights for sole possession of the lead. 

Entering the 3rd period down 3-1, the Blackhawks had a near-impossible hill to climb. They had a hard time scoring as it was, and they needed two just to have a chance at winning the game. 

Shockingly, the Blackhawks did briefly get within one thanks to a short-handed goal by Frank Nazar. Cole Smith sprung him for a breakaway, and a nifty move allowed him to beat Jacob Markstrom on the backhand. 

That didn't last for as long as Chicago would have liked, however, as Sandis Vilmanis scored his second goal of the game to make it 4-2 for Florida. His line with Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe was magnificent in this game, as they scored all of their even-strength goals on a goalie. 

Frank Nazar didn't hear a bell, however, as he scored his second of the period to get the Blackhawks within one for the second time. While the Blackhawks were trying to complete the comeback with Spencer Knight on the bench, Sam Reinhart threw one into the empty net and sealed the 5-3 victory for Florida. 

Some of the younger players on the Blackhawks were clearly giving it their all until the very end, but it was not enough to overcome what was a mostly sloppy game for Chicago. This win completes a season sweep of the Blackhawks for the Panthers. 

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What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks will continue their road trip with a Thursday night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa, Florida. This is the first time that the Blackhawks will be playing in a back-to-back situation. 

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