Blackhawks’ reinforcements make no difference in blowout loss to Wild

The Wild blew out the Blackhawks at the United Center on Friday. | AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The Hawks iced a nearly full-strength roster Friday but still lost 5-1 in the first leg of their home-and-home series against Minnesota.

The Blackhawks are the healthiest they’ve been in some time.

But their nearly full-strength lineup Friday — bolstered by the returns of Seth Jones, Dylan Strome and Kirby Dach from COVID-19 — put forth one of the most lethargic Hawks performances in some time.

The Wild dominated the first leg of the weekend home-and-home series, routing the Hawks 5-1.

Interim coach Derek King had planned to start Marc-Andre Fleury on Friday, then start Kevin Lankinen on Saturday in Minnesota, yet pivoted to Lankinen ahead of schedule after Fleury uncharacteristically allowed four goals on 13 shots over 31 minutes. It was Lankinen’s first appearance since Dec. 18.

Illinois native and ex-Hawks forward Ryan Hartman, meanwhile, stole the spotlight with two first-period goals. Hartman is enjoying a career year, with 32 points already through 37 games.

The Hawks’ night only worsened when Riley Stillman left with a left shoulder injury, forcing them to play the third period with 16 skaters (as MacKenzie Entwistle had earlier been ejected for fighting).

Jones was fortunate to avoid an injury in his return, too, surviving an awkward crash into the boards during the game’s opening minute and a shot off the wrist a few minutes later.

Toews backs NHL’s policy

The NHL shifted its COVID-19 testing policy — to only testing symptomatic players starting in February — partially as a result of a large majority of players pushing for the change. Jonathan Toews made it clear Friday he’s part of that group.

“It just makes so much more sense on a lot of levels,” Toews said. “If you’re too sick to play, then you should stay home and take care of yourself and rest. Now we can get back to just not having to jump through all these hoops and the logistics, [which has been] the nightmare for every team.

“Everyone can argue their opinions and different points of view. But you have a lot of guys who have been sitting around for five to 10 days, doing absolutely nothing, and that gets pretty frustrating for everybody.”

That’s certainly true for the Hawks, who have had many asymptomatic COVID cases but only one symptomatic COVID case (Marc-Andre Fleury) this month.

Dylan Strome, one of those asymptomatic cases, correctly noted Friday — in response to a lighthearted question — that he “never would have known I had it” if the February policies were already in place.

“[It’s] kind of crazy how that happens,” Strome added. “But the vaccine and the booster work for that reason.”

Johnsons progressing

With the COVID protocol list now empty, the Hawks’ only unavailable players entering Friday were Jujhar Khaira (undisclosed), Tyler Johnson (neck surgery) and Reese Johnson (broken clavicle).

The two unrelated Johnsons are trending in the right direction, too. Tyler Johnson — who has donned a white non-contact jersey for weeks — might “be able to take a little bit of contact” next week, and that’ll be a “big test for him,” King said.

Reese Johnson, meanwhile, made his first public appearance in months Friday, watching morning skate from the bench. He’s expected to begin skating himself next week.

“I’m surprised, [because] I thought maybe he was done for the year with an injury like that,” King said. “He’s feeling good. He’s working out now, [has a] good range of motion, and hopefully we can see him at the end of the season here.”

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