The Chicago Blackhawks picked up their sixth consecutive loss on Saturday after they were demolished 9-2 by the Carolina Hurricanes.
The team trailed 7-0 after two periods against the defending Stanley Cup champions before goals by Connor Bedard and hotshot rookie Roman Kantserov provided some small consolation in the final frame.
As Bedard described it to reporters after the game, the meeting was a chance to “just kind of [give] ourselves a chance to get some frustration out.
“There’s a lot of belief and a lot of love for each other,” Bedard continued. “(It’s) a very tight-knit group. It’s been a tough start. Obviously it’s not what we expected. Every guy knows that we’ve got a little more.”
The Blackhawks (4-13-1) have lost six straight, and are 1-8-1 in their past 10 games. They sit ahead of only the Vancouver Canucks (3-15-1) in points across the NHL at this point in the season. Chicago’s -37 point differential is the worst in the NHL, as they’ve allowed at least four goals in six straight games and 11 of 18 games overall.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow. At the end of the day we got our butts kicked,” Chicago’s head coach Jeff Blashill said. “We’ve got to make this kind of a bottom point in the year. We have to find a way to claw our way out of this.”
Chicago’s turn from NHL elite (qualifying for the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons from 2008-17, winning three Stanley Cup titles in that time frame) to the league’s basement (one playoff appearance in the past nine seasons, with 84 points in 2019-20 marking the most in a single season in that span) has been quick and harsh.
Another dreadful start to the season led to calls around the league for changes in management, targeting Blashill and general manager Kyle Davidson.
Bedard said the team still expects to win earlier this week, but his tone was a bit different following Saturday’s loss.
“There’s frustration,” Bedard said. “When you’re waking up and going to bed, you’re thinking about the record. I think what we’ve been able to do really well is every practice, every pregame skate, every lunch, dinner, every time we hang out, we still have that camaraderie and that joy to be at the rink. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to be better.”
The Blackhawks are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for the fewest goals per game (2.17) on the young season. Only Bedard (14) and Kantserov (11) have more than 10 points, as the team has struggled to find an offensive identity.
“It’s not rocket science,” Bedard said. “It’s not good enough. We know that. We’ve got a few days of practice to get better. Try to just wipe this and start 0-0 and start winning some games.
“There’s belief in the room. There’s belief in everyone from players, coaches, management. We believe in what everyone is trying to do.”