Blackhawks' Delia taking the bad with the good as a rookie goalie

No goalie is going to go through his entire career without throwing up a stinker every now and again.

It comes with the territory and is to be expected.

The question is, how does a rookie like Collin Delia respond to allowing 9 goals in his last two starts? Especially when one of those appearances lasted all of seven minutes and 55 seconds?

“It's easy to be positive when everything's going good for you,” Delia said Tuesday, one day after allowing 3 quick goals in a wild 8-7 Blackhawks victory over Ottawa at the United Center. “But you really test your character when things are tough. Definitely was tested last night.”

That's for sure. Delia was first fooled by Bobby Ryan just 2:06 into the game, allowed another goal 34 seconds later and a third at 7:55 after the Hawks had just tied it 2-2.

“A lapse in preparation for me,” Delia said. “Just felt a little bit nonchalant out there. You have to be on every night and you have to be sharp. I'll be better next time.”

Delia, who signed a three-year contract extension last week, gave up just 7 regulation goals in his first four starts after being called up from Rockford. Since then, however, he's allowed 3 or more goals in nine straight starts and sports a 4.11 goals-against average since Jan. 7.

He took no consolation in the fact that goals kept sailing past Cam Ward and Ottawa's two goaltenders. Delia did look at the shots that got past him, and admitted they gnawed at him until about 10 minutes before he went to sleep.

After that?

“Come back out here today and look to get some work in,” Delia said after the Hawks held an optional practice at MB Ice Arena ahead of their game at Detroit on Wednesday. “Have a better showing next time out.”

Anytime 15 goals find the back of the net, it's hardly all because the goalies had an off night. There were plenty of defensive breakdowns in front of Delia and Ward, as well as Ottawa's Anders Nilsson and Craig Anderson.

Delia, who has only appeared in 16 NHL games, said he received plenty of support from his teammates afterward.

“Everyone's like, ‘You think you're going to go your whole career and not have a bad game?'” Delia said. “They were pretty positive and giving me a couple taps on the pads. I was just glad Cam was able to come in and clean up the mess. Thought he made some really big stops.”

Corey Crawford, who has had his fair share of rough games over the years, is confident Delia will be just fine in the long run.

“I mean there's nothing to worry about after a game like that,” Crawford said. “He's been great. He's helped us get to this point.

“Every goalie's going to have that game every once in a while. It wasn't the first one I'm sure, and it won't be the last one.

“He's fast in the net, he's got good hands, sees the puck well. I wouldn't be worried about that at all.”