Rozner: How much fight do the Hawks have left?

There are many legitimate reasons to believe the Blackhawks are in deep trouble.

The most obvious is they're down 3-1 in a series against a very physical St. Louis team that is pounding them senseless and taking advantage of some uncharacteristic Hawks mistakes, often a direct result of the hits the Hawks are absorbing.

They're relying far too much on Corey Crawford, just as they did during the regular season, when they couldn't find their desperation even when they said they needed it.

And their best defensemen are exhausted, which is understandable since they only have three defensemen.

But here is what's easy to forget about what the Hawks have done over the last few playoff seasons.

In 2013, they were down 3-1 to Detroit in the second round before rallying to win the series, and were behind 2-1 and had to win Game 4 in Boston in the Stanley Cup Final or face a 3-1 series deficit.

In 2014, they trailed these same St. Louis Blues 2-0 after losing a pair of overtime games on the road, before winning the next four games, and were down 3-1 to Los Angeles in the conference finals before tying the series at 3-3 and losing Game 7 in overtime at home.

In 2015, they trailed Anaheim three times in the conference finals, but came back every time to tie it and then won Game 7 in Anaheim, and in the Cup Final they were down 2-1 to Tampa before winning the next three games.

So it's easy to doubt the Hawks, but dangerous even during a stretch when there is seemingly so much going against them.

There is always a huge overreaction to wins and losses during the NHL postseason and it clouds the facts.

The reality is the Hawks have lost 3 games by a single goal and in each one of those losses the Hawks were the better team. Oddly, St. Louis was the better team in the only game the Hawks won.

They got beat by Blues goalie Brian Elliott in Game 1, they played terrific in Game 3 and lost on some bad bounces, and they gave away Game 4 with stupid penalties.

"I don't know what it is," said Duncan Keith, shaking his head. "We just gotta be more patient, especially … I don't know."

Keith had no answers for the Hawks' foolish decision-making. It is, however, the hallmark of a mentally tired team, and having played more games than anyone in the NHL the last seven seasons, the Hawks have every right to be physically and mentally exhausted.

"I didn't think mine was much of a hold, but he fell down and they called it anyway," Keith said. "I just gotta get the puck deep and then it doesn't happen."

Keith then groaned and shook his head again. He's frustrated. The Hawks are all frustrated and searching for answers.

It's not like they're being outplayed, but they are giving away games. They do it one more time and they can make a tee time for Friday afternoon.

On the other hand, one victory can give them some confidence and get them rolling again.

"Absolutely, we're still in it," Keith said. "Obviously, we're not happy about the situation, but we have been in this position before and we know to just focus on one game.

"All we have to do is win one game. Don't look past it and draw on that experience. Come out and lay it all on the line."

Can they? Sure they can. Will they? It doesn't feel like it right now.

Desperation is a mental issue. It doesn't come from the legs first. It comes from a mind willing to go through the pain again. Once the mind commits, the legs follow.

If they can't find the unqualified need to win again mentally, nothing else matters.

Without it, they take bad penalties. Without it, they're a half-step short on shot blocks, screening their goalie and tipping pucks past him. Without it, they're late getting to rebounds.

"We'll regroup, move to St. Louis and get excited," said Joel Quenneville. "No pressure."

The Hawks have been down 3-1 in a series five times in the last six years and they have only survived once, and it won't happen this time if the Hawks don't get their best players contributing.

For all the trophies, accolades and nominations for sainthood collected by Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin, they have disappeared, in part because Artem Anisimov is on holiday and also because the first line has vanished.

The Blues can focus on the second line and it has been smothered. Rinks get very small in the postseason and players unwilling to fight through checks are not going to find open space or many good scoring chances.

The Blues are playing conservative, waiting for the Hawks to make mistakes and Vlad Tarasenko is making them pay, so the Hawks need a reboot.

Relax, play smart, try to win a game 1-0 and go from there.

But it really comes down to a very simple question: Do they really want to play more hockey this season?

The Hawks will answer that question in Game 5.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM.