With six games in nine days, Blackhawks must move on from disappointing loss to Coyotes
It was just one loss.
But the Blackhawks know if Thursday's setback against Arizona snowballs into a stretch of mediocre results, their 3-0-2 start to the season will be quickly forgotten.
“It's nice to start well, but it's meaningless if you don't sustain it (and) you don't keep improving,” Jonathan Toews said after practice Friday. “We know it's just a beginning.”
With six games in the next nine days, the Hawks are about to embark on one of the more daunting parts of their schedule. It begins with tough back-to-back tilts against Artemi Panarin's Columbus Blue Jackets (4-2-0) on Saturday and Steven Stamkos' Tampa Bay Lightning (4-1-0) on Sunday. After that, it's Anaheim (5-1-1), the Rangers (2-4-1), St. Louis (1-3-2) and Edmonton (3-2-0).
During a similar stretch last season — when the Hawks had five games in seven days from Nov. 27-Dec. 3 — coach Joel Quenneville used the exact same forwards and defensemen. They started with a 7-3 win over Anaheim, but scored just 8 goals in the next four games and went 0-2-2.
So it will be interesting to see if the coaching staff mixes things up a bit and gives someone like 39-year-old Chris Kunitz a night off.
“That's something to think about,” Quenneville said. “We only have an extra forward and extra (defenseman). A lot of times those decisions are made for you.”
A couple of interesting ones Quenneville made Friday were to reunite Artem Anisimov with Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane, and to leave Alexandre Fortin outside the top four forward lines.
Fortin has used his high-end speed to create numerous scoring opportunities in the last three games. The best one came against the Coyotes when Fortin took a pass from a triple-teamed Kane and found himself 10 feet away from goalie Antti Raanta. As Fortin hesitated, Raanta cut down the angle and Fortin fired wide left.
“There's a measuring stick where you'd like to see some go in,” Quenneville said. “I know it's early. At the same time, we've tried a few guys there this year and that line hasn't been as productive as it should be.”
OK, but why not move Fortin down to the third line with Brandon Saad and David Kampf, and scratch Kunitz? Fortin's putting himself in position to do damage and the floodgates may open if he capitalizes once or twice.
As for Toews, he's hoping the loss to Arizona was a one-game blip and that the Hawks can go back to their winning ways.
“Last night we're not happy with the way we played, the way we competed,” Toews said. “It was much different than what we've seen in the first handful of games. All we're focused on is bouncing back and playing a solid road game. …
“(The four days off between games) is not an excuse. When you have times where there's a letdown in your schedule, you have to find ways to mentally get ready, get into that game and have a good start. Obviously the way we competed wasn't acceptable.
“When we do show up and work, all those other little details seem to fall into place.”
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Columbus, 6 p.m. Saturday at Nationwide Arena
TV: WGN
Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: Columbus (4-2-0) is coming off a 6-3 victory over Philadelphia Thursday. Anthony Duclair scored a highlight-reel goal in which he fell down, spun around, regained his feet and fired the puck past Calvin Pickard. “I thought it was pretty lucky,” said Duclair, who scored 2 goals in 23 games for the Hawks last season after being acquired from Arizona for Richard Panik. ... Artemi Panarin, coming off a 27-goal, 55-assist season, already has 3 goals and 6 assists. ... Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will both be unrestricted free agents in July and could be traded to a contender at some point. ... Corey Crawford starts in net for the Blackhawks.
Next: Tampa Bay, 6 p.m. Sunday at United Center
— John Dietz