The Chicago Blackhawks‘ recent back-to-back with a 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers and a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers was tough.
But why did this pair of games feel tougher to swallow than usual?
Maybe because one of the teams, the Rangers, was worse in the standings than the Blackhawks before the win and are eliminated from playoff contention. Maybe because it was their eighth back-to-back this season, and it was hoped to go better based on experience. Maybe it was because they had rarely been out of games this season, as head coach Jeff Blashill mentioned after the loss to the Rangers.
Therefore, the area of focus now is on the players themselves in the final stretch.
Blackhawks Roster Can Still Make A Difference
There have been a lot of changes the Blackhawks have been going through this month. Between the trade deadline and a month spent mainly on the road (10 of 16 games), they have shown resilience. They usually do a good job of responding to tough stretches without panicking. A lot of it might be because of their belief and ability.
When I spoke to defenseman Wyatt Kaiser in January, the team was on a three-game losing streak, and we discussed them overcoming hard stretches.
“I think the foundation we have as a team, or that we believe in our systems. We believe that we have a good team. And I think that those two things, like, okay, we have the systems that can win. We have the guys that can win. So now it’s like when these tough times come, you fall back on those foundational habits- that belief that I (play), like, I look around the room and I’m like, “Yeah, we got the guys.” So I’d say those are kind of the two things that get us through hard times where, hey, maybe it’s not going right. We’re a little bit frustrated. Things are going, but it’s like, okay, at the end of the day, we can win, and we have the systems. We have the coach. Like, we have what we need to win…”
Obviously, things have changed since that January chat, as the Blackhawks said goodbye to Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, and Colton Dach at the deadline. But it seems like that sentiment still stands.
Blashill noted earlier this month that he was confident they had the players who could fill the type of leadership voids left by Foligno, Murphy, and Dickinson, and the silver lining is that the young talent on the roster is producing.
Nick Lardis has five points in his last four games. Anton Frondell has two points in his first three NHL games. Sacha Boisvert showed some physicality in his first fight in his second NHL game. Connor Bedard reached a career-high 30 goals against the Flyers. Frank Nazar has been in a groove with 12 points in his last 14 games. Ryan Greene continues to grow as a wing/center on the top line. Arvid Söderblom and Spencer Knight have been doing well in goal this season. Louis Crevier and Kaiser have been revelations on defense this year. That list can go on.
Blackhawks Can Overcome Adversity With Belief
Their adversity is the March schedule, which has 16 games in 31 days. On their current road trip, it’s four games in six days. It is the same grind they dealt with in January, and fatigue has been a recurring topic. They are also missing Matt Grzelyck, Oliver Moore, and Artyom Levshunov due to injury.
Blashill has talked most of the season about the team needing to have their B-game on days when they don’t have their A-game, and about learning how to grind through games when the skating legs aren’t quite there. Those lessons will loom large, especially in the final nine-game stretch that includes one more three-game road trip.
But they’re not feeling sorry for themselves, and they want to be better.
Connor Bedard said, in part, after the loss to the Flyers, “…We’re not obviously forcing motivation. It’s the NHL. We have a lot of pride, but, you know, just finding that. And we got to stay motivated and stay on the gas, because these games are really important for us with our age and the group we have.”
Related: Anton Frondell’s NHL Debut With the Blackhawks Was a Roaring Success
During this last stretch, hard times can understandably raise more questions, especially during a rebuild. So, leaning on the belief they have carried all season is significant. It will help them going into next season.
As Nazar discussed after the loss to the Minnesota Wild on March 17, where they forced overtime, “We were talking about it, thinking about it after, you know, how high up in the rankings that team is, and how well we played in that second half of the game. And you know, we can be right up there, too. It’s just a matter of how we play the whole game, and yeah, like I said, like we’re right there. I mean, it’s great to see that comparison. But also, like, we got to go out and do something.”
And Kaiser reiterated postgame the belief in the Blackhawks potentially becoming a team like the Colorado Avalanche in the future on March 20, “Yeah, I mean, that’s the goal 100 percent. I think we got the guys in the room to do it. So, just finding a way.”
They’re not chasing the playoffs, and the last couple of games were deflating. But it’s the same group that beat a playoff team, the New York Islanders, only five days ago. It will be a testy season finale for them. But like anything else, it’s a matter of the players executing.
The Blackhawks always believed in themselves, and as they say, if you believe it, you can achieve it.
