Trying to find bright spots in brutal stretch of Blackhawks hockey

LAS VEGAS - Of all the sad statistics during this absolutely brutal slide the Blackhawks are on, this might be the most damning: Since beating the Minnesota Wild Nov. 18, coach Jeremy Colliton's squad has held a lead for just 41 seconds.

Forty-one seconds over nine games.

Those 41 ticks came after Artem Anisimov backhanded a shot that got past Marc-Andre Fleury with 12:48 remaining in the Hawks' 4-3 loss to the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.

But before you could blink, Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Tuch scored just 12 seconds apart to stun the Hawks and send them to their 17th defeat in the last 20 games.

Afterward, a dejected Duncan Keith sat shirtless and reclined at his stall and wanted a few moments before taking questions.

"Let's face it - it's tough, it stings," Keith said. "I think once we play that 60-minute game where we're doing everything that we're supposed to be doing, it's going to turn for us and we're going to get some points at the end of it. It's not easy."

It's not easy because the Hawks keep falling behind early and often.

Opponents have scored the opening goal in nine straight first periods. During that time, the Hawks have been outscored 22-5 in the opening 20 minutes.

The Hawks are 9-16-5 overall and 3-14-3 in their last 20 games.

"I mean I'm not going to keep talking about a tough stretch and how it compares to any other teams I've played on in my career," said captain Jonathan Toews. "At the end of the day, yeah, it's tough. Any time you're in a slump - whether it's as a player or as a team - it's hard to get out of it. It's a mental thing."

The thing is, the Hawks have played some pretty good hockey at times during the last three games.

Down 2-0 at Anaheim, they battled back to make it 2-2 and had four shots clang off posts, but ended up falling 4-2.

Down 2-0 at Vegas, they battled back and took that short-lived 3-2 lead.

The slow starts have been brutal and it's made it virtually impossible to come back against some of the hottest teams in the league.

"There was a pace tonight - especially in the second period - that we have to have every single night," Toews said after Thursday's setback. "Even if you have that, it's not a guarantee that you're going to win.

"We've played some pretty good hockey the majority of the last two games. We came up short, but we've got to keep building off those efforts. Eventually we know things are going to turn our way."

Even if they do, it's likely too late to salvage this season. One that was supposed to end in a playoff berth, according to team brass.

With just 23 points, the Hawks likely need 72 more to finish in the top eight. That means going something like 34-14-4 - a feat even the best teams in the league would have a difficult time accomplishing.

So at this point, it's about developing the young players and looking for small victories amid the chaos. Some recent examples include:

• The strong play of Dylan Strome. Since coming to the Hawks in the Nick Schmaltz trade, Strome has been a force. He's strong on the puck, has a nose for the net and has impressed with a fairly nice shot. Strome scored the Hawks' second goal against Vegas from a bad angle - his third goal in just six games in Chicago. "He's giving us something," Colliton said. "He's generating a lot of chances."

• Anisimov's resurgence. After a brutal start, the big man has 4 goals in the last eight games. He's being more deliberate and playing with much more pace. Centers are a precious commodity in the NHL, but if Stan Bowman gets an offer from a team Anisimov is willing to be traded to, don't be surprised if a deal is made.

• Toews continues to impress. This skid is weighing heavily on the Hawks' captain, but he's still having his best offensive season in years. Toews scored his 13th goal against the Golden Knights, which ties him for the team lead, and he easily could have had 2 more in the second period.

• Gustav Forsling's emergence. The young D-man is day-to-day with a shoulder injury he suffered at Anaheim, but it's looking like he should be a part of the blue line in the coming years.

So those are the bright spots.

Admittedly, that's not nearly enough for the Hawks, who expect much, much more.

The holes in the defense continue to be a problem. Too many prime chances are coming from all over the ice.

Keith and Brent Seabrook could do the franchise a huge favor by mentoring Forsling, Henri Jokiharju, and Erik Gustafsson so that their play improves enough to help the Hawks next season and beyond.

"I think my best thing to do as a leader is just play as best as I can," Keith said. "When we're in those situations where we're trying to weather the storm or come back, it's being positive (and) not panicking and sticking with it.

"We did that (against Vegas). It's just a bounce and it's the difference."

First things first

Score after the first period of last nine Blackhawks games:

Nov. 21: Capitals 2, Hawks 0

Nov. 23: Lightning 4, Hawks 1

Nov. 24: Panthers 2, Hawks 0

Nov. 27: Golden Knights 3, Hawks 0

Nov. 29: Hawks 2, Jets 2

Dec. 1: Predators 4, Hawks 1

Dec. 2: Hawks 1, Flames 1

Dec. 5: Ducks 2, Hawks 0

Dec. 6: Golden Knights 2, Hawks 0