The Blackhawks were blown out for the second time in three days Sunday after suffering that fate only once in their first 35 games.
The ejection of forward Tyler Bertuzzi in the second period permanently shifted the momentum in the Hawks’ 5-1 loss to the Stars, who took the lead 12 seconds into the ensuing five-minute power play and never looked back.
The Hawks have been outscored 11-3 in their last two games — they lost to the Sabres 6-2 on Friday — and will head into the Winter Classic on Tuesday in ugly form. Before the holiday break, a 6-3 loss Oct. 22 to the Canucks had been the only game in which they weren’t in striking distance in the third period.
‘‘It’s been tough after the break,’’ forward Teuvo Teravainen said. ‘‘A couple of really bad games. Pretty disappointing.’’
The Hawks played well in the first period and took a short-lived lead on a power-play goal by Connor Bedard, but they lost all energy after Bertuzzi’s elbowing penalty against former Hawks forward Colin Blackwell. It was a relatively innocuous hit to be upgraded to a major after review, and Teravainen said he didn’t think it should have been.
The Stars then pulled away early in the third period, scoring twice against goalie Arvid Soderblom in a three-minute stretch in which defenseman Seth Jones said the Hawks ‘‘just sucked.’’
Interim coach Anders Sorensen used the same forward lines he used Friday, exemplifying one difference between him and former coach Luke Richardson, who became a serial shuffler in his final months. Sorensen said Saturday he wanted to ‘‘give guys another opportunity to redeem themselves.’’ That didn’t happen, but the line combinations weren’t really to blame.
He did change the defensive pairs, however, and fans were bewildered to see Jones and T.J. Brodie — two veterans who have struggled recently — on the top pair.
Their confusion proved justified, as both endured rough nights yet again. Jones was a minus-three and Brodie a minus-two. Sorensen later admitted the two ‘‘could be better.’’
For that matter, Bedard was a minus-four, although Sorensen said ‘‘some of [the goals] weren’t necessarily on him.’’
I asked Anders Sorensen his thought process behind the Brodie-Jones pairing.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) December 30, 2024
"We've liked Allan and Murph together, and we've liked Vlas and Crevs together. There it is."
How did it go?
"Could be better."
Aside from his ejection, Bertuzzi has been a bright spot recently, arguably benefitting more than any Hawks player from the coaching change and all it has brought. The extra offensive-zone possession time gives him more opportunities to get set up in the crease.
Bertuzzi has nine points — including six goals — in 11 games under Sorensen after notching an assist on Bedard’s goal in the first period.
The Hawks will head outside Monday to practice on the completed Wrigley Field rink, acclimating to the surface before the Winter Classic on Tuesday.
Because Soderblom started in goal Sunday, Petr Mrazek likely will start Tuesday against the Blues, who lost to the Sabres 4-2 in their final game before the big event. As we’ve known all along, it won’t exactly be an impressive on-ice matchup.
With plenty of fans already in town ahead of time, the United Center was packed Sunday with a sellout crowd of 20,627, the Hawks’ highest attendance of the season and second-highest of the last two seasons — topped by only Chris Chelios Night.
The weather forecast for Tuesday has improved a bit in recent days. As of late Sunday, the Weather Channel was forecasting rain in the morning and clouds in the afternoon, which would work fine for the 4 p.m. game. The 40-degree high won’t be nearly as problematic as rain would be.
