CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks went into their Sunday afternoon game against the Utah Hockey Club with lots of hype. That is because they had Sam Rinzel and Oliver Moore make their NHL debut in front of the United Center crowd. 

These two signed entry-level contracts following their loss with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the NCAA Tournament last week. Rinzel is a defenseman with high-end potential, and Moore is a speedy forward who can make an impact playing up and down the lineup. 

After taking their solo rookie lap during warmups, a real hockey game was to be played. With the season winding down, it is mostly about the development of their players rather than winning. Most of the lineup is 25 years of age or younger now. 

Utah got on the board first as a shot from Nick DeSimone found its way to the back of the net through traffic. This came at 8:21 of the second period to make it 1-0. This was a goal that finally broke the barrier after being scoreless for more than half the game. 

Over the next handful of minutes, the Blackhawks made it interesting. Joe Veleno scored a nice goal thanks to a great play made by Artyom Levshunov, Nick Foligno, and Oliver Moore. Moore didn't get an assist, but the breakout happened because of him. 

Just a few minutes later, Ryan Donato scored his 29th goal of the season to take a 2-1 lead. Donato gave a strong effort to follow up on two Connor Bedard rebounds. 

Before the second period was over, Utah scored two consecutive goals to take a 3-2 lead into the third. They would add two more in the final frame to go home with a 5-2 victory. 

Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel played a strong game. They looked like they fit in, but the team game wasn't good enough defensively. They had enough chances on offense to win, but their defensive structure as a whole didn't allow it. That's exactly how some games are going to go when the team is this young. 

"I thought we created enough, I thought we gave up too much." Interim head coach Anders Sorensen said of the team following the loss. There was high praise for the new guys, but the entire team didn't do a good enough job in their own end. 

Chicago now has a couple of days with no games ahead of them to regroup for the final eight of the season. They will be back in action on Wednesday night when the Colorado Avalanche pay a visit to the United Center for the final time this season. 

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