Hawks can't shake recent struggles

After two seasons of high living and mostly feel-good stories, the Blackhawks have hit a rough patch.

Maybe that explains why only a few players were at their locker stalls following Sunday's 4-2 loss to Columbus at the United Center - the Hawks' seventh defeat in the last 10 games.

These Hawks don't have much experience dealing with adversity, but here they have come face to face with it at the most inopportune time of the season with only eight games remaining before the playoffs.

"I think frustration, we haven't experienced this type of stretch all year long," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think everybody should be looking to improve and enhance their own game collectively with the objective in mind to be a better team."

It's clear there is something missing from the Hawks' game, and Quenneville laid it out there.

"To me that is energy, speed, support, puck battles," he said. "How we're at our best, that seems to be what we get from all four groups."

Only in the latter stages of the third period when they were behind 3-1 did the Hawks flash signs of the speed and energy that has put them in the playoffs with 99 points.

"It's not just one thing," John Madden said. "We just seem to be going through the motions. We need to pick it up a little more and play with a little more desperation. Everybody.

"We've got to prepare for what's coming at us down the road and we just have to be better altogether."

The Hawks aren't ready to push the panic button even if their Central Division lead is only 7 points over Nashville and 8 over red-hot Detroit.

"We're not worried about anything," Kris Versteeg said. "We're confident in this room. It's good to go through some growing pains at times to see where your game is at and we can only get stronger."

With San Jose beating Colorado, the Hawks trail the Sharks by 5 points in the Western Conference standings, but their biggest concern is themselves.

"We've got to realize we've got a chance to win the Stanley Cup this year," Brent Seabrook said. "You don't get too many opportunities to do that, and with this team I definitely think that there's a chance there and I know a lot of the guys in the room do, too. We've got to pull together and be better."

The Hawks opened the scoring at 8:58 of the first period on a goal that was credited to Dave Bolland after the Blue Jackets' Antione Vermette tapped it into his own net.

From there is was all Columbus, even though the Hawks outshot the Blue Jackets 35-20.

Patrick Sharp's short-handed goal with 3:13 to play made it 3-2, but the Hawks couldn't rally for the tie.

"We've got eight games left and certainly we're not pleased with the pace of our game," Quenneville said. "I think that was the one thing that was noticeable tonight.

"We had some shifts there in the third period where all of a sudden that was the pace we were at most of the year, but certainly didn't get it there tonight."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Tim Sassone's game tracker</p>

<p class="breakhead">Three stars</p>

<p class="News"><b>1. Steve Mason, Blue Jackets:</b> Made 27 of his 32 saves in the final two periods.</p>

<p class="News"><b>2. Derick Brassard, Blue Jackets:</b> Plus-3 with 2 assists.</p>

<p class="News"><b>3. Brent Seabrook, Hawks:</b> Two assists and 4 hits in almost 22 minutes with new partner Niklas Hjalmarsson.</p>

<p class="News"><b>By the numbers:</b> Mostly bad ones for the Hawks. They were 0-for-4 on the power play and are 4-for-38 in the last 10 games. Patrick Kane was minus-3 with an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty in the third period.</p>

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<li><a href="/story/?id=369265">Keith, Seabrook split up vs. Columbus <span class="date">[3/28/10]</span></a></li>

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