The «underdog» Blackhawks couldn’t get out of Notre Dame with a win, but still look like a team worth watching as they claw for a playoff spot.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Blackhawks are working their way back.
Not back to the splendor of their run as a perennial championship contender, but back to being interesting. They grew into a compelling draw again leading up to the Winter Classic and took a tie game deep into the third before falling 4-2 to the Bruins at Notre Dame Stadium.
The crowd of 76,126 — the largest ever for a Hawks game and second in NHL history — got the drama it wanted.
It roared through a wild second period in which the Hawks dictated much of the action, but couldn’t pull away. They faced down a frantic 5-on-3 penalty kill early in the third. And Jonathan Toews smacked one squarely off the post with about a minute left.
Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks prepares for a face-off in the third period against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium.| Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
They were in it, but an inch here or there cost them. It says something about where the Hawks are when a loss like this stings. There was a numbness to it when defeats piled up early in the season, but they felt this one.
“It sucks we couldn’t get the win for our fans,” Toews said. “It’s a memorable moment for everybody and you want to leave the game feeling a little bit better than we are right now, so it’s unfortunate.
