Vilardi’s second made it 4-1 at 11:19 when DeMelo set him up for a one-timer in the slot.
“We haven’t been down three going into the third … and I thought our guys came out and fought hard,” Blashill said. “That was one of the things I was interested to see in terms of the character of our group — were we gonna lay down or were we gonna come out and play? And I thought we did a good job of that. Against this team, it’s hard to come back from that. We certainly made a fight for it.”
Morrissey pushed it to 5-1 at 10:12 of the third with a point shot that hit the post before going in off Knight’s skate. Toews started the play with a pass from below the goal line out to the point to DeMelo.
“I think it was our best 60-minute effort,” Morrissey said. “There’s always things to clean up and but there’s a lot to build on. There’s been a lot of talk about our second periods and how we did a better job in that frame. So, yeah, it’s a good win, and have to keep building.”
Vlasic scored on a rebound at 13:02 to cut it to 5-2. Burakovsky then made it 5-3 at 15:03, lifting it over Hellebuyck’s blocker with a between-the-legs shot after Bedard found him in front with a vertical seam pass.
“It’s just instinct — I was just trying to get a shot off somehow, and that’s what came out,” Burakovsky said of his goal. “I wasn’t thinking about doing it; it just happened. So just instinct… It was a good goal, but at the end of the day we didn’t win the game and that’s what’s most important, obviously. Would be better if we won, for sure.”
Connor lifted a backhand over Knight’s shoulder from in close at 17:19 for the 6-3 final.
“I thought we did a really good job of protecting that inside [part of our zone],” Arniel said. “That’s when we’re at our best. The gutsy ice, we don’t give teams much to work with.”
NOTES: Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson left the game late in the second period. Blashill said it’s the same nagging injury that has kept him out of a few games this season and he is questionable to play at the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. … Nyquist played 1:28 before leaving in the first period. Arniel said he “tweaked something” and will be assessed on Friday. … Bedard has seven points (four goals, three assists) on a three-game point streak. … Scheifele has eight points (two goals, six assists) on a four-game point streak. … Morrissey has eight points (one goal, seven assists) on a four-game point streak. … Connor has six points (three goals, three assists) on a four-game point streak. … Vilardi has seven points (four goals, three assists) on a four-game point streak.
