Chicago Blackhawks: Why Fans Should Hold Their Breath

It is a long season and the Chicago Blackhawks know that. However, some fans have jumped the gun recently. Everyone needs to hold their breath for a second.

If you had told me that the cost of the Chicago Blackhawks winning 3 Stanley Cups in 6 seasons was going to result in a few seasons of struggle and missing the playoffs, I would have still jumped at the opportunity. Now, if you also told me that the Blackhawks missing the playoffs would give them the third overall pick in one season, I probably would have had a parade downtown.

My point is that there is a price when it comes to success and the Chicago Blackhawks are currently dealing with it. Although the team has played well as of late, they are not succeeding in all aspects of the game. Just look at the team’s last two losses.

Chicago lost to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Although at times the team looked like equals, they fell behind and dug their own hole in both instances. There are a lot of reasons for the Blackhawks’ struggles as of late. One of which can be found behind the bench.

Honestly, I do not understand how one coach can have such a negative impact on the game. When you have your captain come out and basically question the decision to play 7 defensemen, it is not a good sign.

Even Patrick Kane did not benefit from the move to playing 11 forwards. Although Kane played over 27 minutes of Thursday’s game, he only registered 8 shots on goal with only 1 in the third period. Although Jeremy Colliton wanted to give Kane a chance to play more, he did not need to.

Chicago is only 4 points out of a playoff spot, so things can change quickly for the team. With league parity at an all-time high, things can easily change in an instant. Even still, Blackhawks fans should hold their breath.

I want to see the Blackhawks succeed, but winning games 5-4 or 6-4 every night will not help guarantee a playoff spot. The same can be said when they don’t show up for 2 periods of the game. The Blackhawks need to start playing an entire game and understand it is the defense that wins games, not your offense.

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Chicago can try to outscore opponents night in and night out, but offense comes and goes. The defense is a constant aspect of the game. Another thing that is constant for the Blackhawks is they will play again.

A big reason Blackhawks fans need to hold their breath is the fact that the team is going to get another opportunity, as there are 82 games in the regular season. Right now, fans have been quick to jump on games as defining moments for the team. After we beat Nashville, fans were practically calling for a parade, and after we lost to Carolina, fans were calling for Jeremy Colliton to be ousted from the franchise.

It is a tense time for Chicago fans, with the Bears struggling, baseball in hibernation, and Bulls being the Bulls, there is not much to be happy about. However that does not mean we should jump the gun on one game for the Chicago Blackhawks.

This is going to take some time to turn around and if it does not, that is ok too. We still have young players ready to step up and become our future core. Plus, Chicago has a lot of valuable players that can be used as trade bait to build a better future as well. It is a long season, Blackhawks fans! Although these points matter in the long run, it does not mean we should jump the gun with the state of the team after one loss. Even the best teams lose games.