Rozner: Blackhawks miss the point in return home

It's the oldest trap in the book.

First game home after a long road trip, facing a weak team after 2 emotional victories.

Classic spot for a letdown.

The head coach knew it, the players knew it and probably most important, the visitors knew it.

Rather predictably, the Blackhawks came out Monday night with absolutely no energy and virtually nothing left in their legs, allowing Arizona to stay in the game just long enough to win 3-2 in a shootout at the UC.

Two steps forward, one step back.

"This was a dangerous game," said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville, "and we made them aware of it."

The Hawks did manage a point but they gave away another when they failed to score on an overtime power play and by passing up too many wide open shots in favor of the pretty play that never materialized.

Still, with 16 seconds left in the extra session Andrew Shaw appeared to shovel one past Arizona goaltender Mike Smith, but the NHL war room declared it no goal and the Coyotes took care of Antti Raanta in the shootout.

After an ugly month of hockey and a very difficult road trip that concluded with important victories in Winnipeg and St. Louis, the Hawks had hoped to extend their win streak to three against an Arizona squad that has played better hockey the last two weeks.

"We knew they were going to remember the last time they were here (6-1 defeat) and they've played four pretty good games in a row coming out of the all-star break," Quenneville said. "Like I said, dangerous game."

The veteran horse player that he is, Quenneville is always trying to hedge his bets until it's time to pounce, going to the window strong just when the hot streak hits.

Of course, it would be nice to know ahead of time, but you never know it until you're deep into it. A win Monday night would have put the Hawks right there with three straight wins and games upcoming against Vancouver and New Jersey this week as the Hawks begin an eight-game homestand.

"It would be nice to get on a run," Quenneville said. "St. Louis is coming off a major run and so is Nashville, so hopefully that's coming, but you don't want to get ahead of yourself."

The Hawks have had only one genuine streak this year and it came after an embarrassment in Detroit Nov. 14 when turnovers by Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg and David Rundblad led to a 4-1 Wings victory.

Quenneville peeled some paint that night, the Hawks pounded Dallas two days later at home and went 13-2 over the next month, including a 5-1 circus trip.

But the Hawks have been inconsistent at best since then and the longest home stretch of the year now gives them an opportunity to pile up some points.

"We have to take advantage of it," Quenneville said. "It's a busy week here of home games against tough opponents, but we'll go one at a time and make each game an important game."

If that sounds like a slight exaggeration, it's really not. The Hawks are down to 28 games remaining and when this homestand ends they'll have a quarter of the season left to play.

Considering the physical beating they took from St. Louis in an opening-round playoff series last spring, and the effect it had on them by the time the Hawks got to the conference finals, that's not a team they need to face again in the first round if they can possibly avoid it.

But right now the Hawks trail the Preds by 7 points and the Blues by 3, and with all the 3-point games you typically see after the all-star break, it's going to take a huge finish to win the division and avoid those two clubs in the first round.

"It happens fast," Quenneville said. "You look up and you have less than 30 games left, but we have a good home schedule and we need to take advantage of that."

The Hawks failed to do that Monday night, but at least picked up a point on the strength of 2 Jonathan Toews passes and 2 Marian Hossa goals.

It wasn't pretty and it didn't have much of a personality, but at least the Hawks collected a point. Unfortunate - but understandable.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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