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Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight is scored on by the Stars’ Attu Hyry during the second period Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at the United Center. (Paul Beaty\/AP)<\/p>\nThe Chicago Blackhawks had the Dallas Stars\u2019 number in 2025-26, winning two of three games and earning five points against their Central Division rival. That was last season, though, and coach Jeff Blashill made that point during his team\u2019s morning skate Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had Utah\u2019s number too \u2026\u201d Blashill said before trailing off, referring to the Hawks\u2019 6-0 loss to the Mammoth on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
In the first of four matchups against the Stars this season, the Hawks didn\u2019t give their fans much to cheer about, losing 4-0 in front of 18,233 at the United Center.<\/p>\n
The Hawks entered the night riding their first back-to-back wins of the season, but defensive-zone struggles, sloppy puck handling and giveaways dropped them to 2-2-0 on their seven-game homestand. They are 3-6-0 and won\u2019t play again until Friday against the Montreal Canadiens.<\/p>\n
A break might be needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got five days (off), kind of weird, but we can practice, work on stuff and get better,\u201d captain Connor Bedard said.<\/p>\n
Despite being outshot 12-5 in the first period, the Hawks had their share of scoring chances. But they Hawks didn\u2019t capitalize on those opportunities, and the crowd\u2019s silence was broken by groans whenever they missed a pass on a breakaway.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe made too many mistakes out there with pucks passes all around the ice,\u201d defenseman Alex Vlasic said. \u201cIt seemed like they were just jumping on anytime we turn the puck over. They have a lot of skilled players up front, so they\u2019re going to make you pay anytime you know you\u2019re turning it over pretty frequently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Left wing Jason Robertson appeared to give the Stars an early lead, but his goal was disallowed because he was offside, and the first period ended in a scoreless tie.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got to create more (chances), we had a lot of power plays in the first,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cI thought we had a few good looks where (if) they go in, it obviously changes the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight is scored on by the Stars’ Attu Hyry during the second period Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at the United Center. (Paul Beaty\/AP)<\/p>\n
A lack of energy from the Hawks best described the second 20 minutes. Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, who had 19 saves for his third shutout in his last six starts, wasn\u2019t pressured often, and the few shots that did fly his way missed the net.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we stopped attacking the net,\u201d Blashill said. \u201cThey boxed out, slashed, fronted a lot of those pucks or (we) just didn\u2019t have much (of a) look at the goalie. When we had the opportunity to attack, we probably looked for a better play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robertson ended up scoring on a power play 4 minutes, 58 seconds into the second period. Right wing Arttu Hyry scored at 14:10 for a 2-0 lead that felt bigger given the way the Hawks were playing.<\/p>\n
Hyry (1:27) and Roope Hintz (9:40) put the game away in the third. The Hawks were outshot 32-19 on the night.<\/p>\n
The Stars (4-3-1) are still finding their groove after their first-round playoff exit last year, but they are a quality, hard-checking defensive team. It\u2019s an area the Hawks have struggled to combat, resulting in blowouts in Utah and on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just weren\u2019t crisp tonight,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cI don\u2019t think we were in the right spots for each other as much as we\u2019d like. We want to play fast, but we got to make sure that the guys have an easy out, and we just weren\u2019t getting the puck out of our end tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n