3 Things the Blackhawks need to improve before their next game

The Chicago Blackhawks are coming off of back-to-back road losses in California to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks during their 6-7 weekend. Losses in which they were outscored 13-1, falling 6-0 to the LA Kings on Saturday and 7-1 to the Ducks on Sunday.

Not to mention they were outshot 85-43 during the games. They also struggled to generate offense and looked out of sync from start to finish.

From what the Blackhawks learned from their two games out on the West Coast, there is a lot of work to do before Wednesday's game against the New York Rangers.

1. Get Their Heads out of the Clouds

The Blackhawks looked flat in both games. In Sunday's game against Anaheim, they were outshot 53-20. 17-6 in the first period and then a whopping 27 in the second alone. After a scoreless first period in Saturday's contest, the Kings doubled up on the Blackhawks, scoring three times each in the second and third periods.

The Blackhawks lost puck battles and had trouble keeping up with the pace. It was a struggle for them.

2. Intense Practice

In a game where they were outshot 53-20, there were a lot of defensive issues from the Blackhawks this weekend. They had a hard time breaking the puck out of their zone, making great defensive plays, and clearing rebounds.

This week's practice needs to be intense — almost like that scene in the movie Miracle where Herb Brooks made the Team USA players go up and down the ice several times. The Blackhawks have to defend the slot, be quick on breakouts, and improve communication when facing a 12-4-1 New York Rangers road team. If the Blackhawks don't tighten up their defense, the Rangers will run away with the game.

3. Creating More Offense

The Blackhawks only had one goal in their back-to-back road games in California. It was a power-play goal from Tyler Bertuzzi, notching his 15th of the season.

The Blackhawks struggled to get shots on goal and lacked defensive-zone coverage. They couldn't get enough traffic out in front of the net.

They need to crash the net, create more offense, and open up the game on a strong note. The Blackhawks have a great young and upcoming team, but those road games were tough and will require a lot of work before Wednesday's game against the Rangers.