Tyler Bertuzzi’s disallowed goal weighs on Blackhawks after shootout loss to Canucks

The Blackhawks let a two-goal lead slip away in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Canucks on Friday.

It marked their 11th consecutive defeat against Connor Bedard’s hometown team since 2021, although it also marked their sixth consecutive game to start the season in which they’ve been leading or tied at the second intermission. They’re now 2-2-2.

The first period was one of the Hawks’ finest, scoring twice and generating a 13-5 advantage in scoring chances. But the visitors turned the tide in the second period.

The Hawks thought they had gone ahead again when Tyler Bertuzzi whacked the puck over the goal line with 5:12 left in regulation, but it was waved off for goaltender interference. The controversial call ended up basically deciding the game.

Connor Murphy said referee Kelly Sutherland told him it was waved off because the puck was lodged underneath Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen’s pad before Bertuzzi pushed it in, and “they looked at that as a dead puck even though the whistle still wasn’t blown.”

But since Bertuzzi pushed only the puck, not the pad, over the goal line, the Hawks believed it looked similar to other goals they’ve seen permitted. Coach Jeff Blashill said he would challenge it again “10 out of 10” times.

“I won’t comment because I’ll probably get fined,” Bertuzzi said. “I think it was not that great of a call.”

The Hawks then survived two Canucks power plays — including one for the failed challenge following that Bertuzzi play — to get to overtime and earn one point.

Goalie Spencer Knight made a few big saves in a cagey overtime, but the Hawks were denied on four shootout attempts before Brock Boeser finally beat Knight.

“Blashill talks all the time about how hard it is to win in this league,” Murphy added. “To not put together enough of a push to take a team’s will away — when you have them down against the ropes — is a big difference in winning and losing. It’s a learning lesson. We didn’t do enough to earn the win that we should’ve gotten.”

No fight

Everyone expected a fight involving Hawks forward Jason Dickinson, but it never transpired.

Back on March 15 last season, Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood vowed Dickinson would eventually have to “answer the bell” for a hit that night on Filip Chytil that ultimately knocked him out for the season. And Dickinson told Sportsnet on Friday morning he would “appreciate whatever has to come.”

Surprisingly, however, nothing did come for Dickinson. Sherwood instead scrapped with Bertuzzi. Dickinson exited the game briefly during the second period, as he’s clearly playing through some sort of upper-body injury.

Yes fight

A fight that nobody expected that actually did transpire last weekend was Hawks defenseman Louis Crevier vs. Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle.

It was not only Crevier’s first fight in the NHL but also his first since third grade, which he joked Friday probably shouldn’t count.

It came in response to a big Guhle hit on Frank Nazar. Teuvo Teravainen started roughing up Guhle first, so Crevier thought he was simply charging into an unfolding scrum. But then Guhle dropped the gloves with him.

Crevier took the first punch to the left eye — which required some stitches later — but he then used his 6-8, 238-pound body to take over the scrap and land quite a few rights on Guhle. Meanwhile, a scrum eventually did break out involving everybody else, including Wyatt Kaiser.

“I saw Kaiser [in the box] and was like, ‘What are you doing here?'” Crevier said. “He said, ‘I fought also!’ There’s a picture of the two of us.”

Experience factor

Crevier, a former seventh-round pick, rarely gets discussed as a notable part of the Hawks’ long-term plans. But his subtle yet steady improvement every year continues to preserve a spot on the roster for him.

“His skating actually has been really good,” coach Jeff Blashill said recently. “At that point, you’re kind of a really good defender if you have good body position, good sticks. He’s done a really good job in the [penalty] kill from day one.

“Getting in the fight was great for Louis, too. It shows he’s got that physicality and is going to bring more of that edge.”

Friday marked his 61st career NHL appearance since debuting in December 2023. He believes that growing base of experience is helping him.

“It is something important and valuable,” Crevier said. “You know what you can do because you’ve tried it and it’s working, so you can try it again and again.”

Bedard love

Blashill heaped praise Friday on Bedard, who ripped seven shot attempts in the game but couldn’t get one to go in.

“I can’t say enough good things about him as a person, his competitiveness, his want to be a great player,” Blashill said Friday. “He wants to win more than anything else. He wants to win more than score points. He wants to win more than getting accolades. He just wants to win.

“So he’s 100% bought into it. He accepts coaching, whether it be privately or in front of the team, because he knows that’s part of the importance of building that good culture.”