Blackhawks still working on new identity

If we've learned anything about the Blackhawks over the first quarter of the schedule it's that the expectations put on them coming off their Stanley Cup season were way too high.

This is not the same hockey team that won its first championship in 49 years last June, which to some has become painfully obvious over the first 20 games.

The Hawks are 9-9-2 and just 5-7 at the United Center, where they dropped only 12 games all of last season.

“You really notice how much depth they lost,” said an NHL insider. “That's what made them so special. They can still be a pretty good hockey team when they get things figured out, but there's a lot more pressure on their big guys to produce than there was.

“Now if (Jonathan) Toews and (Patrick) Kane or (Marian) Hossa is having an off night, there's no (Dustin) Byfuglien or (Kris) Versteeg to pick them up. That's a huge difference.”

The feeling-out process between the returning Hawks and their new teammates nine of them if you count Jack Skille, Bryan Bickell and Jake Dowell still is ongoing.

Add to that the Stanley Cup hangover being experienced by those Hawks with rings, which is very real, and it's a recipe for tough times.

It might be cliché, but the six-game road trip that starts Wednesday at Edmonton could be exactly what the Hawks need to finally get to know one another and become a true team.

“In the past this road trip's always been good for us as far as how we play on the ice, but considering this is still a relatively new dressing room, I think we'll do a lot of bonding and get to know each other off the ice,” Toews said.

It's a different room

Even coach Joel Quenneville commented last week how quiet the dressing room is this season, which can be interpreted in a number of ways.

Byfuglien, Versteeg and Adam Burish were outgoing personalities who helped keep their teammates loose while the veteran voices of leadership from Andrew Ladd, John Madden and Brent Sopel is missed dearly.

A quiet room is not necessarily a bad room, but the Hawks were exceptionally tight as a group last season. That kind of bond still hasn't formed, although lately there have been signs it's coming around.

“Whether it's the newness of guys coming in and being comfortable, a lot of the guys here last year may have been more vocal,” Quenneville said. “But still you can have a quiet room, quietly confident. You can work off that.”

By the numbers

The Hawks' .500 record is reflected by where they rank in many of the NHL's key statistical categories.

They are 18th defensively and 17th in scoring, averaging just 2.75 goals per game.

The power play is a solid third in the league, converting at 25.8 percent, but the penalty-killing ranks 21st out of 30.

The Hawks are 12th on faceoffs and are allowing 30.7 shots per game, which ranks middle of the pack, while averaging 32 themselves.

The Hawks have played better team defense in the last four games, allowing only 9 goals, and their puck-possession game is improving as well, but it remains rough around the edges.

Bad losses

The Hawks have lost twice to Edmonton on home ice and once to New Jersey two of the worst teams in the league.

They also lost at home to Nashville by allowing a power-play goal in the final minute of a game that was tied, and blew a third-period lead in a loss to Columbus at the UC.

That's 9 wasted points, which down the line could mean the difference between winning the Central Division and finishing second, third or worse.

“When (teams) come to town they want to play the Stanley Cup champions and everybody is ready,” Hossa said. “We have to learn how to handle it.

“This is not where we want to be, but this is a long season. We feel we've left a lot of points on the table and that we can be better.”

Plus

&bul;The power play has been good most of the first quarter, and now Quenneville has put Hossa upfront on the first unit with Toews and Kane.

&bul;Goalies Marty Turco and Corey Crawford have kept the Hawks in games when they didn't deserve to be in them. Turco's .911 save percentage is more than respectable.

&bul;Speedy Viktor Stalberg has a nice upside and with 6 goals is on pace to score 24.

&bul;Brent Seabrook has been the most consistent of the defensemen and has 10 points, only 3 fewer than Duncan Keith.

&bul;The Hawks are 4-2-2 on the road and seem to play a more simple and relaxed game away from the Madhouse on Madison.

&bul;Fourth liners Dowell and Skille have combined for 5 goals and are plus players.

Minus

&bul;The Hawks have been too easy team to play against at home, which won't cut it if they hope to make the playoffs.

&bul;Armed with a new four-year, $14 million contract, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has had a first quarter to forget. In addition to being suspended for two games for the hit on Buffalo's Jason Pominville, he has no points and is minus-9.

&bul;Patrick Sharp, after a torrid start, has gone eight games without a goal and is minus-11.

&bul;Kane has shown signs of turning it around of late, but he hasn't been the consistent difference-maker the Hawks need him to be.

&bul;Keith is minus-6, and his slow start has been a mystery. He claimed it's not fatigue and vowed to play a more simple game.

&bul;Tomas Kopecky has 2 goals and Troy Brouwer 1. Both are free agents after the season, which means the clock is ticking for them.