Blackhawks gear up for final 14 games
WASHINGTON — It's time to get back to business for the Blackhawks.
Visiting with wounded war veterans was important and hanging out with President Obama at the White House was about as fun as if gets, but for the Hawks the Western Conference playoff race waits for no one.
The Hawks need points after losing twice in Florida, and the chase for them resumes today against the Capitals at the Verizon Center.
“The last couple games we left some points on the table,” coach Joel Quenneville said.
Even after winning eight games in a row and taking 17 out of a possible 20 points in their last 10 games, the Hawks are back on the bubble in the West, bunched with eight teams that were separated by only 4 points for the final five playoff spots heading into the weekend.
If the Hawks are feeling even the tiniest bit demoralized after going on that long winning streak and not gaining much ground, they should consider the alternative of where they'd be if they hadn't run off eight in a row.
“I wouldn't say it's discouraging — necessary is more the right word,” winger Troy Brouwer said. “It's tough to look at the standings and you haven't moved and gained much ground on teams.
“We thought we'd be all right with an eight-game winning streak, but in this conference you have to continue winning and you can't get in any slumps.”
The Hawks have 14 games to play and a most difficult schedule ahead. Six of those games are against division leaders in Washington, San Jose, Detroit (three times) and Boston. Eight of those last 14 games are on the road.
“Our biggest downfall this season has been a little bit of a slow start,” Brouwer said. “We haven't been able to recover and even with an eight-game winning streak we still weren't able to create much separation.
“It's going to come down to the last few games of the season and we know that. We just have to put ourselves in the pest positon possible going into those last games.”
The Hawks have been off for three days but face a challenging back-to-back scenario with games today against the Capitals, who have won seven straight, then San Jose on Monday night at the United Center.
The Hawks play six of their next eight games on the road. They might need at least 15 points in the last 14 games to make the playoffs.
“You've got to look to grab those 2 points in front of you,” said Quenneville, not wanting to look too far ahead. “It's a good argument for everybody, how many points you're going to need. You need as many as the eighth-place team and 1 more than the ninth place-team.”
The Capitals are playing as well as they have all season with Alex Ovechkin starting to show that trademark spark of his following a subpar first half of the season.
Ovechkin has a seven-game points streak — all victories by the Caps.
“They started out kind of like we did, but they've turned the corner as of late,” Hawks winger Patrick Kane said.
“They've been a good team for a couple seasons and are one of the teams that feels it can win the Stanley Cup,” winger Patrick Sharp said. “They have an explosive lineup, but the one thing they've improved upon in their team game is their defensive play.”
While some might view Friday's visit to the White House as incentive for the Hawks to make a run at a second straight Cup, Quenneville thinks just getting into the playoffs should be the immediate motivation.
“This test run of competing for a playoff spot on a daily basis and jockeying for position is enough to get our attention here,” he said. “That's our focus and our challenge.”