No answer Jackets fall behind 3- 0, can’t muster comeback
CHICAGO — There are plenty of excuses to be made while playing the second of a back-to-back on the road, but Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella was having none of them before a game Saturday night at the Chicago Blackhawks.
Tight scheduling is part of playing in the NHL, Tortorella said, and once a team finds its second wind in the second game of a back-to-back, it can be tough to stop.
The problem for the Blue Jackets
in a 5-1 loss at the United Center was that its second wind was short-lived and did little to respond to a 3-0 hole.
Rookie Sonny Milano stuffed home a puck that Nick Foligno slid across the mouth of the goal to cut Chicago’s lead to 3-1 just past the midpoint of the second period, but Blackhawks defenseman Jan Rutta scored his first career goal two minutes later to squash the comeback attempt.
Richard Panik put the puck into the top-left corner of the net to further the Blue Jackets’ deficit late in the third period with his second goal of the season.
The Blue Jackets (1-1-0) needed just 67 seconds to take a lead over the Islanders in a 5-0 home win Friday. A scoreless tie was broken in less than two minutes for the second straight night, but this time the Blue Jackets faced a deficit.
Just a few feet in front of the blue line, Chicago’s Ryan Hartman backhanded a pass into the middle of the ice.
Center Nick Schmaltz quickly got rid of the puck before taking the blow that would cut his night short after a period, finding Patrick Kane near the right faceoff circle. Kane sent a wrist shot over Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo’s left shoulder to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 1:33 of the first period.
Earlier Saturday, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville and Tortorella described the June trade that sent Brandon Saad to Chicago and Artemi Panarin to Columbus as one that benefited both teams.
As Tortorella put it, he was sad to see Saad go, but, “To get something special, you’ve got to give something special.”
Saad, who scored 24 goals and added 29 assists for the Blue Jackets last season, gave the Blackhawks a special first four periods to start the season.
Following up on a hat trick in Chicago’s 10-1 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday, he pounced on a loose puck in front of Korpisalo on a power play, sending home his fourth goal of the season to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead just over six minutes into the first period.
Saad also assisted on a goal by Jonathan Toews in the second period.
Panarin twice earned heavy welcome-back applause from the 21,264 at the United Center — before the game and midway through the first period — but didn’t produce a point a night after notching three assists.
Korpisalo made 24 saves.
The Blue Jackets continue their trip Tuesday night at the Carolina Hurricanes.