Blackhawks: Five thoughts now that the playoff hope is officially over

2. Failure to compete in must-win games really hurt them

Jeremy Colliton and company had some must-win games at times this season. Chicago failed to beat Nashville all but once this year. Those matchups for the Predators were all that mattered in the playoff race, and Chicago failed pretty badly.

The Hawks snuck away with victories against Florida and Tampa a few times this season, but it was the must-win games on any given night where they fell short. It seemed like some nights the Hawks were on and others they gave up before puck drop.

The coaching staff needs to do a better job getting these players ready to go. I think at this point the Hawks are just used to start the game down by a goal or two. Not only that but they have no control over the game itself. The pace of the game has been set by opponents most nights, with teams scoring two or three quick goals within a matter of a couple of minutes on the Hawks.

3. Goaltending is not the main issue

The goaltending is not the main issue with this team either. Sure Malcolm Subban gave up an incredibly weak goal last night, but overall it is the turnovers in the Hawks’ own end that are costing them games.

I do not think we are going to see a complete teardown of the team this off-season, so I think it is really going to come down to changing how they play the game. Maybe stop trying to make some bad passes in your own end in favor of cycling the puck back around and or just carrying it up ice.

Other teams are reading the Blackhawks very easily, and there seems to be nothing that can stop that for the Hawks. Maybe a coaching change could fix some of the team’s problems.