What do Blackhawks' best players have to do to jump-start season?

Six points.

That's all the Blackhawks could muster during a season-long seven-game homestand that concluded with a disheartening 4-1 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday.

Players are frustrated.

Coaches are frustrated.

And fans, many of whom serenaded the Hawks with a chorus of boos on a couple of power-play chances against the Flyers, are most definitely frustrated that this team is 2-4-2.

"Everybody's a little frustrated, everybody's a little angry," Dylan Strome said after practice Friday. "But hopefully we can turn that anger into positive plays on the ice and turn it into some wins."

In order for that to happen, the Hawks' best players must lead the way.

And soon.

Let's take a look at how they've fared so far and what some of them had to say about their slow starts:

Jonathan Toews - After racking up 35 goals and 46 assists last season, Toews has just 2 points.

And really, it's worse than that when you consider his goal was the result of a fluky bounce off his body and he essentially lucked into an empty-net assist in a victory over Edmonton.

"You come in with expectations and you set goals for yourself," Toews said. "You want to have a great start to the year. I turn on the highlights every day and I see everyone (on there) obviously lighting it up. So when you're not getting the same results it's frustrating.

"At the end of the day you've got to set those expectations aside and stick with your process."

Before last season began, Toews vowed to stay in a good mood at all times - even during slumps, which he certainly had early on when he scored 3 goals and had no assists in Games 7-17. After that, he was an absolute machine, piling up 27 goals and 41 assists in the final 65 games.

Toews steadfastly believes a stretch like that is right around the corner.

"(I) know that everyone goes through these moments," he said. "There's a lot of little things I can do better, so start there and as long as the chances start coming I'm not too worried about pucks going in."

Alex DeBrincat - Believe it or not, DeBrincat isn't immune to scoring droughts. During his rookie season, the forward had a 3-goals-in-23 games stretch and also went 13 straight without managing to score. Even last season DeBrincat only managed 2 goals in Games 11-28.

This season, DeBrincat has 2 goals and has yet to snap one of his middle-of-the-ice wrist shots into the back of the net.

"I've had a lot (of chances) where I (would normally) bury it and haven't," DeBrincat said. "It's going to come sooner or later. … You can't get so down on yourself when things aren't going in. It's a tough league to score in, so bounces aren't always going to go your way."

Dylan Strome - Expectations were sky high for Strome this season, but he has just 2 assists the last six games and he's been taken off the top power-play unit in favor of Alexander Nylander. Oh, and his ice time the last two games is just 9:01 and 10:39.

"He's one of the guys who can play better," Colliton said. "I absolutely think he's got more to offer. It's a familiar theme about what you've heard me say before about the group. We've got to work away from the puck, manage the puck, be committed to defend.

"He's no differenet than other guys. If he does that a little more, it'll be easier for him to play."

Brent Seabrook - The veteran defenseman has been on the ice for 3 key goals in the last three games. He was pushed down vs. Washington, which led to the Capitals' game-winner. Two nights later, he was slow to react along the boards, which allowed Vegas' Paul Stasny to slip the puck to Mark Stone. Stone then fed Nick Holden cross-ice, and Holden tied the game at 1-1 with 93 seconds remaining. Then on Thursday, Seabrook was beaten to the puck by Kevin Hayes in the neutral zone, leading to Hayes' breakaway that gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead in the third period.

Erik Gustafsson, Patrick Kane and the power play - After a breakout campaign in which he piled up 17 goals on 160 shots, Gustafsson has yet to score on 9 attempts. Meanwhile, Kane has 4 points in the last six games and is struggling to get off high-quality shots.

These two are really struggling on a power play that is a rancid 1-for-20 over the last five games. Get that phase of the game going and perhaps it gets the entire team on the right track.

"It just feels off right now," Kane said. "Last year when we had some success it wasn't like we were forcing anything. Things were flowing."

Kane and Colliton both believe guys need to stop looking for the perfect play.

"We can shoot the puck more (and) we can hit the net on our opportunities," Colliton said. "A lot of times the really Grade A opportunities are after you recover a puck after a shot."

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena, noon

TV: NBC SportsChicago • Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: Carolina won its first five games but has scored just 11 goals in the last five, four of which were losses. The Hurricanes blew a 3-1 lead to the Blue Jackets on Thursday and lost 4-3 in overtime to fall to 6-3-1. "We had a great first period," said Wheaton's Ryan Dzingel, who has 3 goals and 5 assists. "We were buzzing, playing our kind of hockey, and in the second period we were on heels and that's what killed us." … Dougie Hamilton (6G, 5A), Teuvo Teravainen (2G, 9A) and Erik Haula (7G, A) are Carolina's leading scorers. Haula scored 29 goals for Vegas in 2017-18, but he missed the last 67 games of last season with an injury. He was acquired by the Hurricanes in a trade in June. … Carolina ranks 20th on the power play (17.6 percent) while the Hawks rank 26th (11.5 percent). The Hawks are 1-for-20 in the last five games.

Next: Los Angeles Kings, 6 p.m. Sunday

- John Dietz