What on God's green earth is wrong with the Chicago Blackhawks? Didn't they just get done scrubbing the last of the champagne spray off the locker room ceiling? Was it all that long ago we, the grateful mass of 2 million die hard Hawks fans, (which had rapidly mutiplied, like bedbugs, from 16,000 just 4 years earlier) were elbowing each other for street space on a hot June day for just a glimpse of our heroes as they streamed by on parade?? It was just a little over six months ago "we" won the hardest trophy to win in all of professional sports, The Stanley Cup!! So, how is it now, our beloved Blackhawks sit on the palyoff bubble clinging to the 8th and final spot?? As I watched the Hawks take another loss at home to the once lowly Minnesota Wild, I shuddered to think the unthinkable; maybe the Blackhawks don't even make it into the playoffs!! (It's happened a few times before) Blackhawks color man, Eddie Olczyk, laid out the tough road ahead following the upcoming All Star game. Starting Feb 1, The Blackhawks have only 32 regular season games left (64 available points) of which only 12 are home games!! The Blackhawks would need to compile 56 more points, (28 of 32 wins) to match last years point total. (not gonna happen!!) Granted the Hawks are no better at home than on the road this year but, they really have their work cut out for them!! Typically an NHL team needs to amass somewhere between 90-95 points just to qualify for the playoffs. This means the Hawks need at least 39 more points of the remaing 64 available to them. They may need to win 20 of 32 not factoring in OT losses which still net a point. Hopefully as the Western Conference, which has become dramatically more competitive this year with 14 of 15 teams above .500, evens out the math a little bit and the Hawks can squeeze in with 90. Winning the Central division, which would net an automatic bid, is not out of the question, but does not seem probable right now. Detroit has cooled off and sustained injuries to several key players but still holds an 8 point advantage as we sit in third place. It just seems to me the Blackhawks cannot get hot and stay hot for very long while struggling to gain ground in the standings. It does seem like there is a little more team cohesion than there was earlier this season with so many roster changes, but there have been huge lapses in intensity and concentration. Case in point, last night's game; for starters a lazy turnover with less than 90 seconds ticked off the clock led to an easy Martin Havlat goal. Down 1-0 we rallied for 2 goals the remainder of the period to take the lead. Patrick Sharp slapped home a beautiful pass from Kane while Troy Brouwer netted a nice tap in. Following that there were flurries of attacks but as it's gone this year, the breaks just aren't trending our way. This was punctuated late in the game as Patrick Kane appeared to have slid one past Backstrom, who played 'lights out' last night, only to find out the referee had whistled the play dead because he lost sight of the puck!! Aaargh!! even if Kane's goal had been allowed, the Blackhawks would still be down one score with time dwindling. This has been the modus all year long; get a lead, give up the lead, and scramble to get back into the game late. Don't get me wrong the Blackhawks have played great at times this year but have been far too inconsistent to match last years team. The sense of urgency seems to be gone. The 'hunger' sated. Last year there was an underlying feeling the Hawks were destined for greatness. This year that feeling seems to have floated away on the celebratory champagne bubbles!! I'll get into the reasons behind this years "slump" later in the week. Meanwhile, there is a "hockeyless" week ahead for the Blackhawks save for the All star festivities. Hopefully the break does them some good. The drive for the playoffs begins anew next Tuesday in Columbus against the Bluejackets. That will be the first game of a six game roadtrip. Here's hoping the Blackhawks find a little magic on the road ahead!! Dave Kuhlman bullsbearscubssoxhoxx dave@onyerleft.com
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