- Jeff Blashill says a few Blackhawks played “at the end of their stick” in a 5-3 loss to Florida
- Connor Bedard escaped the criticism and drew praise for his compete level
- Read below for the full Blashill quotes and where Chicago stands
Jeff Blashill didn’t hide his frustration after Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to the Panthers. The Blackhawks coach said some of his players weren’t giving enough, and he wasn’t shy about it in front of reporters.
Blashill was asked about his team’s compete level after Chicago fell to 4-11-1 on the season.
“There was a lot of guys that competed their asses off, and I think there were a few guys that played at the end of their stick, and we can’t have that,” Blashill said.
Blashill singled out one player for the opposite reason. He said captain Connor Bedard set the standard.
“I thought he competed like crazy,” Blashill said of Bedard. “For not every guy to follow that suit is not acceptable. I thought a lot of guys did, but you’ve got to have 20 going.”
Bedard finished with two assists and logged 22:25, the most of any Chicago forward. He has 12 points in 10 games since returning from offseason shoulder surgery.
Bedard also owned up to the loss. He said the team shot itself in the foot at times and played well in stretches, but it comes down to consistency.
Florida jumped out 3-0 behind a four-point night from Sandis Vilmanis, who had two goals and two assists. Frank Nazar scored twice for Chicago in the comeback attempt, and Roman Kantserov also cut the deficit in the second period.
Blashill also talked about the bigger picture and how hard it is to turn things around in this league. “You would like to have this miracle switch where you just turn it around, but that’s not how it happens,” he said.
The loss was Chicago’s fourth in a row (0-3-1) and its seventh in the past eight games. Watch the Blackhawks’ highlights from the game in Sunrise:
