Chicago Blackhawks not panicking after 5-0 loss to Kings
Jonathan Toews isn't about to panic. Neither is Patrick Kane nor Joel Quenneville.
The Chicago Blackhawks' captain, their leading scorer and their head coach all have been through tough times before, and a 5-0 loss to Los Angeles on Monday night that extended the team's losing streak to three isn't enough to raise any serious red flags.
“We know not to overreact and start second-guessing ourselves and really letting that lack of confidence creep in our minds,” Toews said. “We'll work through it and we'll earn those bounces back.”
The Kings got all the bounces this time and silenced the 22,000-plus at the United Center by grabbing a quick 2-0 lead on goals by Kris Versteeg and Milan Lucic 18 seconds apart at 3:17 and 3:35 of the first period.
The Hawks' best chance to make a game of it probably came when Corey Crawford hit Kane with a perfect stretch pass, but Kane's shot bounced off Quick, and 13 seconds later Vincent Lecavalier scored to make it 3-0 at 15:30 of the second period.
Crawford has allowed 9 goals in the past two games, the other 4 coming in less than 31 minutes of a 5-2 loss at Dallas on Friday.
“It was a rough start again tonight. We were eager to be better than we were in Dallas,” Toews said. “Terrible, couple quick goals we give up, and after that everything just snowballs in the wrong direction for us.
“It's not fun, but I think our effort was there. I mean, the harder we tried it seemed it just kept getting worse for us.”
The Hawks are 9-10-2 since their franchise-best 12-game winning streak came to an end Jan. 21. They remain in third place, 3 points behind the Stars and Blues, and are just 5 points ahead of fourth-place Nashville.
“We've got some work ahead of us,” Quenneville said. “They're important points … now we've got to get back and find a way to get just one win and get everything stabilized.”
The Hawks (41-23-6) certainly had their chances against the Kings, with Niklas Hjalmarsson and Duncan Keith hitting the post within two minutes of each other midway through the first period. They also had six power-play chances, all for naught. Quenneville's squad has converted on just 1 of 15 power plays over the last three games.
Kane hasn't registered a point in three straight games, his longest dry spell of the season. The NHL's leading scorer said it's up to the Hawks' top players to right the ship.
“Myself, I haven't had the best last few games,” Kane said, “so if we can look in the mirror and try to bring our best individually that should create good things for the team while playing within the team structure.”
As for the Kings, they have won eight of 11, allowing just 9 goals in those 8 wins.
Versteeg had no points in his first five games with Los Angeles after being traded by Carolina, but by scoring and assisting on Lucic's goal, he managed to notch a pair against the team he won Cups with in 2010 and 2015.
“When you play your old team, you always want to play hard and it gives you a little added boost,” Versteeg said. “But at the end of the day, a goal feels good no matter who it's against.”
Quick (32 saves) recorded his fourth shutout and 35th victory of the season.