Chicago Blackhawks End 2016 On Low Note

Dec 27, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (33) and Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) go for the puck during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t do themselves any favors last week, losing two out of three games played and entering 2017 and the Winter Classic on a losing note

As 2016 comes to a close, the Chicago Blackhawks aren’t looking like the strongest team right now. They’re having a hard time finding the back of the net, and their defense is a bit suspect. They fell to the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 last Tuesday, and the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 last night. They did manage a 3-2 win on Wednesday against the Nashville Predators, but they still didn’t play all that great.

Having played 39 games, the Hawks are closing in on the half-way mark of their season. Now let’s remember they do boast a record of 23-11-5 (51 points), which is good for first place in the Central Division and fourth in the league. So they actually sit in a pretty nice position at this point. But in these last three games, there have been some disturbing trends. Let’s take a look.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Winnipeg Jets. Tuesday, 12/27. Loss, 3-1

The Hawks are notoriously not at their best both before and after a break. This time last season, they blew the game before the Christmas break, being shut out 4-0 to the Dallas Stars. In the matchup after the break, they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1. Sure enough, this year the Hawks lost to the Avs 2-1 in OT before the break. And then this game against the Jets brought a losing outcome. Sound familiar?

Not to mention that the Hawks haven’t played the Winnipeg Jets well all season. They’ve now lost three in a row to them, and have been outscored 9-2 in said three games. I’m not sure why we expected anything different last Tuesday. The script didn’t change for this one.
The good news was Artem Anisimov coming back from injury and scoring the his 15th goal of the season.

Unfortunately, that was the only goal the Hawks scored. They followed their usual tendency of slow starts, and allowed two Jets goals in the first before Arty’s tally in the second. As they made their inevitable push to tie it up, I realized this would be the perfect time for a Marian Hossa clutch goal.

But alas, Hossa is out with an upper body injury. He wasn’t there to make that famous clutch goal. I felt like it was the hockey version of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Hossa is at home contemplating retirement, and Clarence says, “No, no, my friend! Don’t you see? The rabble still needs you!”

Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators, Thursday, 12/29. Win, 3-2

The loss to the Jets was the Chicago Blackhawks’ third loss in a row. It was the first time all season they lost three games in a row. But as Brian Hedger of the Chicago Sun-Times says, “The Hawks just don’t string losses together in large quantities, and haven’t since dropping nine straight games from Jan. 21 to Feb. 14 in 2012. They’ve since gone through four-game losing streaks once in each of the last three years, but quickly extinguished the flames. That included a four-game skid going into the 2015 playoffs that culminated in the Hawks’ most recent championship.”

Sure enough, the Hawks managed a win, with goals from Anisimov, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Kane. It was nice to see Toews score, as he’s been struggling to put up points so far this season. It was his 6th goal of the year.

Defenseman Gustav Forsling played a horrible game against the Jets, and was therefore a healthy scratch against the Preds. Enter Michal Kempny, who has been a healthy scratch in nine of the last 10 games. Michal Rozsival also drew back into the lineup. He’s been a healthy scratch in the last seven games. The two played mostly together on the third pairing, and neither really set the world on fire.

The odd man out was Brian Campbell. Coach Q scratched him to send a message to his veteran defenseman that he’s not happy with his play as of late. This broke a 423-game long playing streak for Campbell.

And then there’s the controversial tripping call and whether Corey Crawford intentionally stuck his foot out. Yeah, I’m not sure if I can support Crow on that one. I’ll let you be the judge.

Crawford literally stuck out his leg to initiate contact. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/WS0ngGWkKQ

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) December 30, 2016

Next: Blackhawks and Canes

Dec 30, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Elias Lindholm (16) celebrates his first period goal with teammates forward Brock McGinn (23) and defensemen Brett Pesce (22) and forward Jordan Staal (11) against the Chicago Blackhawks at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Blackhawks at Carolina Hurricanes, Friday, 12/30. Loss, 3-2

Probably the biggest news coming out of this game is the loss of Marcus Kruger. He left the game in the second period and is listed as “week to week” with an upper body injury. That’s not good. The Hawks just can’t seem to get a break in the injury department. They really struggled these last four games offensively with Hossa out. And now they will struggle defensively with Kruger out.

Speaking of defense, Kempny suited up for his second game in a row, and he scored his first NHL goal to put the Hawks up 1-0! He also earned an assist later in the tilt, and played a solid all-around game with Trevor van Riemsdyk on the third pairing. Hopefully this will be the end of his healthy scratches. I think he has a lot to offer this team.

Campbell drew back into the lineup, but he didn’t play all that well even after being scratched. Needless to say, there has been a lot of flux on the defensive end lately for the Chicago Blackhawks. If this team is going to compete for a Stanley Cup, they need to come up with some answers in this department. I still think they should put Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith back together, and try Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson as a pairing.

The line of Toews, Ryan Hartman, and Vinnie Hinostroza had a strong game. Hinostroza scored his fourth goal of the season in the third period to give the Chicago Blackhawks some hope. But it wasn’t enough, as the Hawks couldn’t pull off the game-tying goal. Toews was credited with two assists. Hopefully this and his goal on Thursday night will help him gain some momentum going forward.