Another passionless loss prompted another passionate postgame discussion Sunday for the Blackhawks, who still haven’t earned consecutive wins at any point yet this season.
The emotion the Hawks played with Friday against the Maple Leafs seemed admirable but probably unsustainable at the time, and that proved correct in Sunday’s 4-2 defeat against the Blues.
The Hawks fell behind 3-1 early — just like they did Friday — and didn’t put enough fire behind their pushback efforts to fluster Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who looked solid all afternoon.
“They were the hungrier team tonight, and we let them be,” coach Luke Richardson said. “That’s frustrating to see, because we wanted to try and take that excitement from last game and put it into tonight, and we just didn’t do that.”
Added forward Ryan Donato: “After a win, you can sometimes sit back and say, ‘OK, we won. We’re fine. Here we go; we’re going.’ Every night, every team is coming in trying to beat you, so you’ve got to be prepared the same way every single night. You can’t take a night off.”
Statistically, the Hawks’ recent performances have been better. They’ve now finished with a scoring-chance ratio above 50% (during five-on-five play) in three of their last four games, including Sunday, after snapping a streak of 14 consecutive games below 50%.
That hasn’t translated into the standings, however, where the 6-13-0 Hawks are just two points out of last place in the NHL. Ill-timed breakdowns and goaltending regression have been factors, but the Hawks believe their team-wide effort levels haven’t been consistent enough, either.
Veteran forward Nick Foligno — who has become the team’s de facto captain, especially in Corey Perry’s absence — apparently did most of the lecturing after the game.
“There are plenty of habits that aren’t winning habits,” Foligno said. “That’s what we’re trying to get out of our game — some of those habits that have maybe crept in — and we’re working toward that.
“I get that we’re young. No one is giving up here. It’s just that, at some point, you’ve got to take it on yourself, too.”
