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@LAHawk: Thanks for your question and great observation.
I reviewed the goal several times, and honestly, the entire sequence was a mess. The Blackhawks’ defensive coverage broke down completely — there was confusion, poor communication, and bad positioning, starting with Foligno. At one point, you can literally see four Hawks lined up together with only one player up top (#28).
Let’s go through it in detail:
1️⃣ The Setup:
Suzuki rims the puck down low to Hutson. Bedard is the high forward, and three Hawks collapse low in front of the net — that’s fine at first. Foligno is down low with Burakovsky and Rinzel, while Vlasic is a bit too far up on the right side.2️⃣ The First Breakdown:
As Hutson gets the puck along the boards, the Hawks should switch from a box +1 to man-to-man coverage. Bedard recognizes it and moves toward Hutson, but Foligno drifts toward Rinzel instead of holding his lane. That movement causes confusion — Burakovsky ends up as the high forward, which is a good reaction to maintain defensive balance after Foligno went too low.(stuck in front of the net)3️⃣ After the First Shot:
Hutson takes a shot that’s blocked, and the rebound lands near Bedard. He tries to clear the puck, but Caufield intercepts. Montreal quickly resets in a 2–3 formation, while Chicago collapses into a 1–4 shape, which leaves too much space up top.4️⃣ The Secondary Sequence:
Caufield shoots again, creating a rebound in front. Now Hutson becomes the bumper, Vlasic is behind Hutson and cover Suzuki too, and Foligno is planted in front. Rinzel is covering Slafkovsky, while Bedard is simply watching the play develop. Hutson kicks the puck to Suzuki — Vlasic is close to him, but Hutson makes a strong play to push the puck through.At that moment, Burakovsky goes lower to help defend Suzuki even though Vlasic is already there. Bedard’s positioning improves slightly, but Guhle is left completely alone at the blue line. Suzuki finds him, and Guhle’s shot goes in after deflecting off Rinzel’s skate.
5️⃣ Final Breakdown:
At the time of Guhle’s shot, the Hawks had reset into a box +1 — but they were too tight together, leaving the entire top lane open. The whole problem started with Foligno being too low in the zone and the team failing to communicate. Three Hawks collapsed in front, no one covered the high point, and that’s how Guhle found the space to score.Unlucky deflection, yes — but the root cause was positional confusion, led by Foligno’s misread and a lack of defensive communication.
So on the last Montreal goal, Foligno was on the ice with Bedard and Burakovsky I assume as a veteran presence instead of C. Dach.
Can someone (Frenchie?) explain what Foligno was doing in that defensive sequence . Was he channeling his inner Al Arbour and trying to play as a second goalie? I thought in Blashill’s defensive system the wingers cover the points, and the center is down low, although I will say Bedard was not really marking anyone either.
Can’t wait for when Mr. Microphone retires after this season and becomes an analyst for the NHL Network. Tired of hearing him talk about learning how to win, especially since his resume doesn’t exactly scream that he knows how to either.
Added prospect notes for Seattle-Spokane WHL game in prospect thread.
Ashton Cumby is back in Seattle after a short ATO stopover in Rockford. Thought he did OK in the game, seems reasonably mobile and able to carry the puck and make good passes. Will see how he does in Rockford next year.
13 PIM in 2 games so far so taking care of that.
The Blackhawks lose a lot of face offs because the opponent cheats, i specifically watch the opponents feet and they are moving before the puck is dropped with no call, now if our young guys cheat they get thrown out of the dot, when the refs wouldn’t throw out the center for cheating but delay the drop and correct habs players feet the Blackhawks almost always won the draw.
Besides I’m okay with the kids losing the draw it will force them to get better defensively.
Here’s your improved reply 👇
Good point, Chunk. You’re absolutely right about Perreault and Peca — both bring great experience to help the young centers develop. Of course, there are rare exceptions like McTavish and Celebrini who came into the NHL and performed well in the faceoff circle right away. But for most young centers — Bedard, Nazar, Carlsson, Fantilli included — it takes time, strength, and experience to adjust at this level. Thanks for sharing your insight!
Sorry to you and everyone for how difficult it’s been to comment or reply lately — it’s often not working, and unfortunately, it’s out of my control. I really wish I could fix it.
That said, Bedard is only going to get better. He worked hard this summer and clearly wants to take the next step. If he can improve his faceoffs, it’ll make a big difference in the long run. Honestly, the Blackhawks should consider hiring a faceoff specialist to help both Bedard and Nazar take that next leap.
I thought that I saw that Yannick Perrault was still working with them this training camp. They also have Peca on the coaching staff, who was no slouch. I really don’t think it’s a matter of coaching with the FO’s. It’s mostly younger/weaker players taking them and they need to gain the experience and strength necessary to improve there. It would also help if their wingers were stronger and better at fighting for and winning some of the 50/50 pucks that can go either way.
Don’t worry Coach, Blackhawks fans know how to do things in spite of technology 🙂
Fridays have been soft the last couple of years for NHL games. Don’t know why, just is.
Arty is only 19, and his play style is still that of a kid. He does generally catch on quickly so by game 10-20, he could be a completely different player. He has already looked better than he did at the end of last season. He could become a beast in short order. Most defensemen will get to where he is now in the age 24-26, so he is still way ahead of them.
Rinzel has been awesome. Sure, a couple of minor mistakes, but wow!
First time I saw Rinzel I saw 2014 Drew Doughty.
Don’t worry Coach, Blackhawks fans know how to do things in spite of technology 🙂
Fridays have been soft the last couple of years for NHL games. Don’t know why, just is.
Arty is only 19, and his play style is still that of a kid. He does generally catch on quickly so by game 10-20, he could be a completely different player. He has already looked better than he did at the end of last season. He could become a beast in short order. Most defensemen will get to where he is now in the age 24-26, so he is still way ahead of them.
Rinzel has been awesome. Sure, a couple of minor mistakes, but wow!
