The Blackhawks have fallen off of a cliff since their impressive 6-3 victory against the Boston Bruins on March 14th at the United Center and 2-1 win against the Nashville Predators two days later. Since then, they have lost to the Coyotes, got shutout against the Avalanche, and flat out got outplayed Thursday night in Washington.
The Blackhawks have dealt with injuries and the fallout from the trade deadline, but the lack of talent and drive seems to have finally caught up to the Blackhawks with 11 games left in the season. Tyler Johnson had some interesting comments after Thursdays 6-1 blowout loss to the Washington Capitals.
Johnson stated "It's a little embarrassing. We have to play a lot better. We're not sticking to our structure, not sticking to our system. We're just out there right now. We've got to compete and play a lot harder for each other." Johnson isn't wrong with his comments, but given the current situation the Hawks are in, it is hard to imagine a scenario in which they turn it around.
The Blackhawks next four games are against the Wild in Minnesota, then three straight games at home against the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, and St. Louis Blues. With the Blackhawks injuries once again piling up and lack of experience in the lineup, we can expect much of the same down the stretch.
