Hawks end trip with loss to Flames
CALGARY, Alberta — The Blackhawks knew they finally would return home from their four-game road trip after their game Tuesday against the Flames.
But the mood on the three-hour flight back always was going to be determined by what happened on the ice.
‘‘You take three out of four on a western Canada swing like this, it’s a good road trip,’’ defenseman Jake McCabe said before the game. ‘‘But two out of four, you don’t go home very happy.’’
So after suffering a 5-2 loss — albeit inflated by two empty-net goals — the Hawks’ flight probably wasn’t cheerful.
Even under interim coach Derek King, the Hawks have continued to be outshot regularly and heavily, a trend that didn’t change Tuesday. The Flames finished with a 39-21 edge in shots on goal after the Canucks finished with a 40-24 advantage Sunday.
Matthew Tkachuk’s tiebreaking goal with 5:35 left, which he banked in off defenseman Seth Jones’ skate, gave the Flames the lead for good after the Hawks’ Brandon Hagel and Reese Johnson twice had tied the score.
Center Kirby Dach didn’t get on the scoresheet but nonetheless produced one of the best games of his career. He was dominant all night in terms of getting to the crease.
Stillman hits injured reserve
The constant shuffling at the bottom of the Hawks’ defensive depth chart has no end in sight. The latest setback came when the team put Riley Stillman on injured reserve Monday with an injured left knee suffered Sunday against the Canucks.
Caleb Jones, who is working his way back from his wrist injury, rejoined the lineup in Stillman’s place Tuesday. Wyatt Kalynuk was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League, where he had three points in four games after returning from his ankle injury, but he was the healthy extra.
King said Stillman’s timeline will be clearer once he’s evaluated in more detail by doctors Wednesday in Chicago, but he will miss at least a couple of games.
Erik Gustafsson, meanwhile, surprisingly continues to hold his spot on the third pair. His ice time has increased dramatically from his first few games under King to his last few.
‘‘He was earning that ice back,’’ King said. ‘‘He’s put himself in a position where it’s hard to not play him. It’s hard to take him out of the lineup. He’s perfect for us on that second [power-play] unit.’’