Not a good time to struggle

Can they or can't they?

The Blackhawks are sending mixed signals with two weeks left in the season about whether they are capable of cranking their game up to the level it needs to be for the playoffs.

There was the great effort in Friday's 3-2 overtime win over New Jersey, in which the Hawks looked like a team ready for the postseason. Then they fail to show up Sunday in a loss to Vancouver in a critical game for them.

The Hawks' 4-1 loss to the Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday was another disappointing performance from a team playing without much urgency on a consistent basis.

A lackadaisical pass by Duncan Keith led to a soft goal past goalie Cristobal Huet off the stick of Alexei Kovalev in the first minute, and the Hawks were chasing the rest of the night.

The Hawks clearly are having problems defensively at a time of the season when it needs to be better than ever. It's hard to believe James Wisniewski meant that much to this team before he was dealt to Anaheim for Sammy Pahlsson at the trade deadline.

Maybe he did. As one NHL scout said recently, he felt Wisniewski was one of the Hawks' top four defensive defensemen.

The Hawks could be helped by Brent Sopel's return from elbow surgery, but the veteran still hasn't practiced with the team. There is hope Sopel can be back for the playoffs, but any return before that would require some salary-cap maneuvering by general manager Dale Tallon.

The Hawks now find themselves chasing Calgary for fourth place in the Western Conference thanks to Vancouver's overtime victory over Minnesota on a goal by Henrik Sedin.

The Canucks passed the Flames and lead the Northwest Division by 1 point, with the Hawks 1 point behind a Calgary team they beat four times during the season.

The Hawks don't want any part of the Canucks in the first round, not playing like this.