5 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders: ‘We ran out of gas both mentally and physically’

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ELMONT, N.Y. — In the second game of a back-to-back, the Chicago Blackhawks had their backs to the wall for most of the second half of a 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena Sunday.

As sharp as they were during a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers, they looked like they hit a wall against the Isles midway through the second period.

Goalie Arvid Söderblom had three goals tacked onto his ledger in that period, but the Hawks had breakdowns in front of him and couldn’t sustain zone time to keep the attack off of him.

“They doubled us in shots (for the game), kind of outworked us — we left Sody out to dry,” center Colin Blackwell said. “Didn’t get pucks deep, didn’t get pucks on net — a lot of ‘didn’ts’ tonight, in my eyes. It’s frustrating.”

The Hawks were outshot 40-21, not that they could really threaten Semyon Varlamov after the first period.

“It’s not one thing,” defenseman Connor Murphy said. “It’s a bunch of mistakes like any loss. The cluster of goals was obviously the biggest part, the three goals. We can’t let that turn into a bunch of shifts being poor that leads to more goals.”

Coach Luke Richardson said the Hawks looked fatigued as the game wore on.

“We started to fall into the trap of forcing things, turning pucks over, and then spent too much time in the D-zone the rest of the way. That’s exhausting,” he said. “Really not enough juice to create enough offense.”

Blackwell added: “Doesn’t matter if we played the night before, that’s just that’s just an excuse. Disappointing.”

All the Hawks can do now is rest on Monday’s day off and try to regroup for Tuesday’s road-trip finale against the New Jersey Devils.

Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s loss.

Martin backhanded a shot that initially was obscured by Söderblom’s pad. Play continued at first, but the NHL Situation Room initiated a review, which resulted with “Video confirmed that the puck entered the Chicago net at 11:02.”

The Hawks had been going toe-to-toe with the Islanders, but seemed stunned to be suddenly down 1-0 in the second period.

“We ran out of gas both mentally and physically a little bit after that call,” Richardson said.

Replays seemed to show the puck crosseding the line, and Richardson didn’t dispute it after the game: “I haven’t seen a review yet that’s conclusive, but they might have different views.”

The goalie allowed five goals against the Edmonton Oilers and a goal on six shots in relief of Petr Mrázek against the Rangers.

Through a period and a half, it looked like Söderblom wasn’t going to give an inch to the Islanders — but then the floodgates opened in the second. Martin’s puck inched across the goal line and was awarded after video review. Then Zach Parise’s doorstep goal and Brock Nelson’s finisher off a rush came 43 seconds apart.

It didn’t help Söderblom’s cause that the Hawks were outshot 20-6 in the period.

But he had his moments in the game, his sixth loss.

Söderblom stopped six high-danger shots in five-on-five play in the second and five shots on the Isles’ first power play. He finished with 37 saves.

“He made some big saves,” Richardson said. “Really good goaltending duel, and then unfortunately that one slipped in, and then we didn’t support him as well, but he hung in there.”

Blackwell said Söderblom was “unbelievable.”

“He stood on his absolute head and he kept us in that game. For a young goalie, he showed so much poise out there,” Blackwell said. “It sucks to sit here and say we let him down again.”

Mrázek is expected to miss at least a week with a groin injury, Richardson said. The Hawks called up Jaxson Stauber as a backup goalie.

Sunday’s game may have turned on Söderblom, but it’s his job until Mrázek returns.

Entering Sunday, the Hawks owned the second-worst shot differential in the first and third periods.

The Islanders outshot the Hawks 20-6 in the second period, including 15-4 in five-on-five.

“It really felt in the second half of the game that we weren’t supporting each other offensively and in the defensive zone, which caused some turnovers and caused us to having an extended time without the puck in our own end,” Murphy said.

The Hawks have knocked themselves for following up an opponent’s goals with bad shifts, and that’s what happened when Parise and Nelson scored back to back.

“That’s where fatigue sets in,” Richardson said. “Body-wise, but then your mind is listening to it. You’re starting to think a little bit out of the box of what we were supposed to do.

“That second goal was probably attributed to that, and then unfortunately at that point, we were gassed physically and not thinking straight. We got off our game plan a little bit after that.”

Richardson wasn’t feeling the effects a day after he took a puck to the head during the Rangers game and needed stitches. “I feel fine,” he said. “The players take way harder hits than me.”

Jack Johnson’s pass deflected off a Rangers’ stick and knocked the right side of Richardson’s head.

“Just an unfortunate thing, I didn’t see it coming,” he said. “I guess it’s another lesson learned: Keep your eye on the puck at all times.”

The coach can skip listing himself on the injury report.

“I don’t know if you can consider my head ‘upper body,’ but it must be a hard head, so I’m lucky I got hit there and not anywhere else,” he said.

Sunday marked the sixth game since Jones’ return from a wrist injury.

The Hawks are hurting for consistent scoring, but Richardson and assistant coach Kevin Dean want Jones and Jack Johnson to work on their chemistry on defense.

“The first couple games back, I thought they were really solid and strong,” Richardson said of the duo. “And then it kind of fell off a bit. We talked to them a little bit, myself and Kevin, and just to dial them back a little bit. Play solid defense, and then maybe just add in when the time is right. Not trying to force that issue all the time, especially on the road.”

Richardson gave them high marks against the Rangers, but they were on defense when Parise scored from net-front in the second period for the Islanders.

Richardson said the breakdown was a group effort.

“It’s everybody,” he said. “Tazer (Jonathan Toews) had a chance to clear it in front of their bench originally and it stayed in. And then Kaner (Patrick Kane) was coming out on (Adam) Pelech on the other side and then went out of the zone so he couldn’t get back.

“There’s just different breakdowns in front of the goal. At that point, we’re starting to force (it).”