4 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks' loss to Dallas

Good news, Hawks fans.

Not only are a decent number of your team's next eight opponents struggling, but not one of them plays in the Central Division.

The Hawks have feasted on teams outside the Central this season, going 13-6-3, which means they should be able to improve their 17-12-5 record before hosting Minnesota on Jan. 10 and Winnipeg on Jan. 12.

In the bigger picture, though, the Hawks can't keep dropping division games like Thursday's 4-0 loss to Dallas if they hope to challenge for second or third place.

Last season the Hawks went 19-8-2 in the division (.690 points percentage), and they had a .517 points percentage in the each of the two previous years. This year, they are 4-6-2 for a .417 points percentage — and that's simply not going to cut it.

To turn things around, they must recognize that Nashville's clog-up-the-neutral-zone formula that was so effective in the playoffs last season is being copied by plenty of other teams, including Dallas. The Hawks are 0-1-2 against a defensive-minded Stars team that has completely changed its identity under coach Ken Hitchcock.

“It seems like teams … want to kind of muck it up a little bit and play defense first and not give up too much,” Patrick Kane said two weeks ago. “We've got to find our way around it, even if we're 0-0 through two periods.”

Here are four other takeaways from the Hawks' loss to Dallas:

1. Let's get physical

The most embarrassing part of Thursday's game was the Hawks' unwillingness to stand up for themselves and one another on numerous occasions.

• Jamie Benn shoved Nick Schmaltz aside for having the gall to be skating near Benn after he scored Dallas' first goal late in the first period.

• After the period ended, Antoine Roussel and Schmaltz became entangled, and Roussel ended up laying on Schmaltz for almost 10 seconds during a dust up in the corner.

• Early in the third period, Roussel took a run at Patrick Kane, and Kane ended up getting a high-sticking penalty.

• And the 6-foot-4, 221-pound Stephen Johns — a former Hawks prospect — unloaded on Richard Panik and Ryan Hartman only seconds apart in the first period, sending both players to the ice.

The Hawks' response? Nada.

John Hayden and Lance Bouma — and Tommy Wingels to some extent — are on the roster to provide more grit and to make sure opponents don't take liberties with the Hawks' best players. But everyone needs to stand up to that kind of rough play or this team isn't going to go far in the postseason.

2. Toews and Saad

Now that we're 34 games into the season it's safe to say the Jonathan Toews-Brandon Saad reunion hasn't gone as planned.

Toews is on pace for 22 goals, while Saad is on pace for 27. But dive deeper into those numbers and there are plenty of red flags.

One is obviously that 6 of Saad's 11 goals came in the first six games. Another is that while Toews has 5 goals in the past 16 contests, 2 came late in games with little hope of the Hawks winning, and another came into an empty net.

There's no denying that Toews and Saad remain a force defensively, but the Hawks need more consistent offensive production from the veteran duo.

3. Experiment over?

It's probably time to get Cody Franson and Jan Rutta back in the lineup. Rutta is a penalty-killing machine, and Franson is a big body who knows what to do when opponents are screening Corey Crawford.

The perfect example came early in the second period Thursday when Jordan Oesterle allowed Roussel to redirect a Dan Hamhuis blast from the point. Oesterle needs to be more physical with Roussel or at least mess with Roussel's stick. While it's something the young D-man should get better at over time, a healthy Franson deserves to play.

4. Just one loss

In the end, let's keep this loss to Dallas in perspective. It was one setback after a fairly impressive five-game winning streak. These nights will happen over the course of a season.

If the Hawks hold them to a minimum, they'll be fine and should continue to build momentum during the second half and into what they hope is a 10th consecutive postseason appearance.