Blackhawks Handed Harsh Lesson by Resting Hurricanes

Carolina's system proves effective even with key players out, exposing issues in Chicago's game

Apr. 10, 2026 at 4:19am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a hockey game, with fragmented and overlapping planes of color representing the players and action on the ice. The vibrant colors of the teams' uniforms create a dynamic and energetic visual.The Hurricanes' relentless system overwhelms the Blackhawks, exposing flaws in Chicago's game that they must address.Chicago Today

The Blackhawks were throttled 7-2 by the Carolina Hurricanes, who rested seven key players, including their three leading scorers. The loss highlighted the effectiveness of the Hurricanes' system and the Blackhawks' struggles to compete against it, despite having beaten Carolina earlier in the season.

Why it matters

The blowout loss against a lineup one-third composed of AHL call-ups is justifiably alarming for the Blackhawks, who were hoping to show their fans 'how good we can be and how good we will be' during this final homestand. It exposes issues in their game that they need to address, especially against teams with strong systems like the Hurricanes.

The details

The Hurricanes, led by coach Rod Brind'Amour, run perhaps the NHL's most distinctive system, which the Blackhawks' coach Jeff Blashill has 'talked to him a lot about' in the past. Despite resting seven key players, the Hurricanes' relentless forecheck and strong work ethic overwhelmed the Blackhawks, who assumed their defensemen could execute a breakout and started cheating early for offense, an assumption that cannot be safely made against Carolina's system.

  • The Blackhawks defeated the Hurricanes 7-2 in Carolina in January, one of their most impressive victories of the season.
  • On April 10, 2026, the Blackhawks were throttled 7-2 by the Hurricanes at home.

The players

Rod Brind'Amour

The head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, who runs perhaps the NHL's most distinctive system.

Jeff Blashill

The head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, who has 'talked to [Brind'Amour] a lot about' the Hurricanes' system in the past.

Connor Bedard

A Blackhawks forward whose line, with Nick Lardis and Teuvo Teravainen, assumed their defensemen could execute a breakout and started cheating early for offense, an assumption that cannot be safely made against the Hurricanes' relentless forecheck.

Anton Frondell

The Blackhawks' lone bright spot in the game, scoring two goals and creating two dangerous chances late in search of a hat trick.

Spencer Knight

The Blackhawks' nominee for the Masterton Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player who 'best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.'

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What they’re saying

“One of the reasons that they're a really good team year after year is their work ethic and compete on the puck is excellent. Although they obviously had a light lineup tonight, they still worked and competed on the pucks, and we didn't do that enough.”

— Jeff Blashill, Blackhawks Head Coach

“It's a hard system to play against, but we didn't give ourselves a chance, really.”

— Louis Crevier, Blackhawks Player

“We've done a pretty good job all year of competing pretty hard. I don't want to overreact to a bad night. It's frustrating, for sure. Our fans deserve better, for sure. I recognize all of that. But there are [bad] nights that happen, and this was one of them.”

— Jeff Blashill, Blackhawks Head Coach

“Not a lot of guys here know me too well, so [I'm] just showcasing myself. This year has been a little tough for me, just with the limited opportunity I feel like I received with the [Oilers]. I want to go out here now and play and run with it.”

— Andrew Mangiapane, Blackhawks Forward

What’s next

The Blackhawks will look to bounce back in their remaining home games as they aim to show their fans 'how good we can be and how good we will be' before the season ends.

The takeaway

This game highlights the importance of developing a strong, cohesive system that can withstand personnel changes, as the Hurricanes demonstrated. The Blackhawks must learn how to effectively compete against such systems if they want to improve and become a more consistent team.