Slumping Blackhawks, Where Have I Seen This Before?

So the Chicago Blackhawks dropped their third game in a row tonight, this time to the St. Louis Blues. After the loss, my Facebook and Twitter accounts were filled with the typical Chicago sports fan who is convinced this team is doomed. Well you know what? I'm not on the bandwagon and I don't plan on ever joining that bandwagon. Listen, this team is already in the playoffs, a sense of entitlement has set in amongst this team it seems like and no matter how bad it is effecting their performance I believe they'll bounce back.

There's no getting around the fact that the Hawks are seemingly uninspired to be playing right now, but that doesn't mean they aren't concerned. The same feeling was sensed in 2005 when the White Sox hit a slump after the All-Star break and many claimed them to be dead. Right before the playoffs hit for the White Sox that year, something clicked and they started playing similar to the way earlier in the season when they held a lead in the first 30 some games of the season. They reeled off an 11-1 postseason record including four consecutive complete game gems from the pitching staff in the ALCS. There are still seven games for the Blackhawks before the playoffs begin, that's plenty of time to refocus and re-energize and get back to the high flying, puck possession style that have the Hawks already locked into the playoffs.

The positive to take from tonight's game is simply the Hawks showed flashes of their old selves in the first period, and they brought a lot of energy to that period. Now it's time to build on that effort and sustain it for an entire 60 minutes (or maybe 40 since the Blackhawks don't like playing the 2nd period for whatever reason). They just need that one moment to close out the season that says they're back, similar to Joe Crede's walk-off home run against the Cleveland Indians on September 20, 2005.

There's no denying the Hawks are a very talented team, much more talented than the Sox were in 2005, so this is clearly a mental hurdle that needs to be cleared and all I'm saying is there is still time to get everything right mentally and get ready for the playoffs. To put it in a phrase: Don't Stop Believin'