SALT LAKE CITY — Lawson Crouse scored the tiebreaking goal on a backhander with 7:48 left and the Utah Hockey Club rallied to defeat the struggling Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Tuesday night, a loss that stung one of the visiting team’s longest-serving players.
Veteran defenseman Seth Jones, a popular name in this season’s trade market and who is in his fourth season with Chicago, voiced his frustration after the Blackhawks lost their fourth straight (0-3-1) and extended a run in which they’ve now lost seven of eight (1-5-2).
“We’re the exact same team right now as we were Game 1,” Jones said at his locker. “It’s pretty evident out there. We haven’t made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows. We don’t get a lot of wins because of that.”
Clayton Keller scored in the second period and Karel Vejmelka finished with 21 saves to help Utah get its fifth win in seven games, including its third straight at home for the first time. Keller has a team-high 33 points in 29 home games.
“This has been almost four years of bottom of the league,” said Jones, who scored for Chicago in the loss. “So, it’s not just this year, for me, at least.”
Arvid Soderblom, among one of few bright spots for Chicago, stopped 34 shots for the Blackhawks.
“Sodie was unbelievable,” Jones said of his netminder. “We have zero chance of winning is he doesn’t stand on his head.”
Jones, 30, figures to attract quite a few suitors leading up to next week’s trade deadline. But any move for Jones is going to be complicated considering the lofty contract he’d bring from Chicago. He’s only in Year 3 of an eight-year pact that carries a whopping $9.5 million salary cap hit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source link
