Blackhawks Start Slow, Lose 5-1 To Flyers in Boisvert’s Debut

Then, there’s also Ryan Greene, a second-round pick, and Nick Lardis, an early third-round selection, both of whom play on the top two forward lines. The youth movement in Chicago has been evident all season, and it’s reached an exciting new peak with the arrival of Boisvert and Frondell this week. But with the two newcomers, plus the loss of three key veterans at the trade deadline, the Blackhawks are now left with a remarkably raw group that lacks experience in the face of adversity.

After allowing two goals in the first two and a half minutes on Thursday, the Blackhawks couldn’t overcome their early blunders and claw themselves back into the fight. The Flyers proved to be the hungrier and more aggressive bunch from start to finish, keeping their foot on the pedal to earn a crucial victory amidst a fascinating Eastern Conference playoff battle. The Blackhawks looked overwhelmed by Philadelphia’s constant pressure, as defensive-zone turnovers and system breakdowns plagued them en route to defeat.

Three of the Flyers’ five goals stemmed from brutal giveaways, while the other two came from poor decision-making at center ice. All of which was caused by their opponent’s constant attack. Alex Bump’s opening tally, less than one minute into the game, occurred after goaltender Spencer Knight turned the puck over, as there was some miscommunication between him and Artyom Levshunov.

Then, Andre Burakovsky coughed the puck up on Sean Couturier’s goal that made it 2-0 in a hurry. Just for good measure, Levshunov added another turnover to help Christian Dvorak provide some insurance late in the second period. Denver Barkey and Noah Cates were benefactors in Wyatt Kaiser and Sam Rinzel jumping into the play when they shouldn’t have, leading to odd-man rushes that resulted in goals.