Rozner: Nothing but a lost weekend for Blackhawks

There's no doubt that this version of the Blackhawks is still a work in progress.

But that progress took a step back this weekend. And at times it was simply a lack of work.

On Friday night at home against Colorado, the Hawks trailed three times and each time they tied it the Avalanche got the next goal, winning 5-3 with an empty netter.

On Sunday afternoon at home against Dallas, they were down 3-0 before tying it early in the third and then losing on a late 5-on-3 Stars power play.

Much will be made of the too many men penalty that proved decisive, and the lack of faceoff wins on a 4-minute power play to end the game when the Hawks failed to tie it up.

Legitimate concerns.

But the Hawks really lost to Dallas in a 10-minute stretch from the middle of the first to the start of the second when they went down 3-0.

“I dunno. We always talk before games that we got to go out there ready because we know they're gonna come out hard,” said Erik Gustafsson, who had 2 more assists but was also on the ice for the first 2 Dallas goals, one the result of a Gustav Forsling turnover. “I didn't come out hard enough myself and made a couple plays I shouldn't have.

“I think the whole team was a little down at the start, but we battled back. Thought we had the game under control until that 5-on-3.”

The Hawks were fighting the puck early in the game and refused to dump and chase while the Stars clogged the neutral zone and forced plays at the blue line.

“I liked the last two periods,” said Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton. “I didn't mind the first 5 to 8 minutes of the game. Then, I think around minute 12 on the clock until they went up 3-0, we got away from what we need to do to have success.

“I thought we were playing slow, turning the puck back and we allowed them to sit with five guys and cause turnovers, and the puck ended up in the back of the net a bunch of times.

“Even though we played really well the rest of the game, we're uphill the rest of the game. We just dug too deep a hole.”

The Hawks' desire to go backward with the puck is costing them about a goal against a game, and the inability — or lack of desire — to get pucks behind the opposition defense is glaring at times, as it was Sunday.

“I just think we were playing slow,” Colliton said. “We're impatient. We want to score every time we have the puck. So we're gonna keep it and try to go through five guys. Sometimes it's just not there.

“We have to move the puck ahead in those situations and then maybe we catch them in transition or create a turnover off the forecheck and then it's easier to create your offense.

“Thought we were a little impatient in that way.”

Chasing Colorado and Dallas for wild card spots with 19 games to play, this will be the weekend the Hawks remember if in the end they fail to reach the tournament.

With a 4-point weekend, the Hawks might have found themselves leaving town holding onto one of those last two positions.

“Two teams just as desperate as we are to sneak into a playoff spot,” said captain Jonathan Toews, who tied the game in the third with his 29th goal. “Unfortunately, we didn't take advantage of these home games.”

The Hawks will leave Tuesday for games in Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose over the next week before returning home to face Buffalo on March 7.

They need at least 4 points on this trip, though 5 or 6 would look better.

“We would have liked the standings to look different coming out of the weekend, but it's probably not as ugly as it looked a month ago,” Colliton said. “Have to have a good road trip. Get some points. There's lots of points available.

“No one is going to win every game. If we win more than our fair share, we'll get in.”

The Hawks not only dug a big hole Sunday, but they also dug a massive hole with a pair of eight-game losing streaks and a five-game skid earlier this season. They had won 10 of 12 before this weekend, but these last two provided the Hawks a great opportunity.

It's not over because of two games, but the Hawks will have to play smarter and harder on the West Coast.

Or they risk coming home with no chance at all.