Hawks hoping to come up bigger at home

It's only two losses to start a long 82-game grind, but the Blackhawks should be concerned about a few things heading into tonight's home opener against the Nashville Predators.

Already coach Denis Savard has called out some of his best players for not battling hard enough, doing so following Saturday's 4-2 loss in Washington in which the Hawks blew a 2-0 lead.

The power play is 0-for-8 and looking a lot like last year when it couldn't - or wouldn't - get pucks to the net. Brian Campbell said in Friday's 4-2 opening night loss to the Rangers in New York, that the Hawks threw the puck around "like a grenade."

But maybe the biggest concern the Hawks should have going forward is their lack of size up front. The Rangers and Capitals are big, strong and fast teams from the Eastern Conference that turned the game around in their favor when they got physical with the Hawks.

The Hawks' biggest forward, 6-foot-3, 246-pound Dustin Byfuglien, hasn't played big. After him the only Hawks' forwards with any significant size are Jonathan Toews, Andrew Ladd and fourth-liner Ben Eager.

Savard said he had a meeting with Byfuglien on Saturday where playing more physical was one of the talking points.

"We'd like to win every game we go into, but again for us we've got to learn to battle harder, it's pretty simple," Savard said. "For us to be top players night in and night out, we've got to fight for that extra inch and win the battles."

Turnovers have killed the Hawks in both losses as well. Five of the 8 goals they have allowed were the direct result of giveaways either in the neutral zone of at the opposition's blue line.

"That's not structure, not being smart on the ice at the end of a shift," Savard said.

"I think we made mistakes in both games," Patrick Sharp said. "They could have easily gone either way, but we can't make excuses. We just have to look forward."

The power play, with Campbell now the focal point, was better in Washington than in New York, which isn't saying too much.

"We've got to work a little harder," Sharp said of the early power play struggles. "We had chances to help the team out in both games, but it's just collectively guys have to work a bit harder."

The Hawks play five of their next six games at the United Center, where it's a must that they dominate if they hope to make the playoffs. A home record such as last year's 23-16-2 won't cut it.

"Probably half the teams in the league are in the same position (without a win), so it's not a big deal," goalie Nikolai Khabibulin said. "It would have been better if we won two games, but we've got to come back home and play strong."

Khabibulin's season debut at Washington was a highlight. He stopped 30 of 34 shots and it would have been a blowout without him.

"I don't think I was bad, but at the same time we didn't win the game," Khabibulin said. "It's all behind. I just got to move on and get ready for the next game."