Blackhawks vs Sharks: When it’s bad, it is really bad

The Chicago Blackhawks look pretty good when they win and they look really bad when they lose. It is almost never in between.

The Chicago Blackhawks had yet another pathetic game with nothing to show for it after the San Jose Sharks defeated them by a final score of 4-2. The Blackhawks scored two goals in the final garbage minutes of the game and made it look even closer than it really was. Martin Jones has been one of the worst goalies in the league this season and he deserved to have a shutout. He would have had one if the Sharks didn’t miss their first try at the empty net.

The Hawks were outshot 32-21 by the Sharks. This is the same San Jose Sharks team who was on a five-game losing streak and was dead last in the Western Conference. Ths Sharks obviously have a really good lineup and have been underperforming but the Blackhawks had a chance to kick them while they’re down but instead they gave them life. It was a bad performance and something has to change and fast. This is the third game out of the last four that they were horrible on the ice and that is not good enough.

They need to get back to doing what gives them a chance to win. They have Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, and Brandon Saad amongst other good offensive players and they can’t generate anything. That is coaching. They also have two really good goalies so you would think they allow the offense to take off the leash and play end to end but it hasn’t been that way. They are not using the roster they have to its strengths. The defense had to be better this year but not at the cost of being one of the best offensive teams in the league. The players they have on their team are playing a style that doesn’t fit them at all.

The roster is better than it was last year and the team is worse. They need to figure it out fast or they will be too far behind for any sort of comeback. The Sharks are a good team but any team shouldn’t be blown out that bad on the shot count and chances. There is so much parity in the league so coaching might be to blame for the team playing this way. It would be one thing if they lost a game that they played hard and to their strengths with good habits, but this game was none of that.

They got three out of a possible six points on the California road trip and they really only deserved two points. They were lucky to get the one point against the Los Angeles Kings so they should honestly be happy to have three points on a trip that they played like garbage in 2/3 of the games. Next up is the red hot Vancouver Canucks back at the United Center. This is a chance for the Blackhawks to get some confidence back against a team that is doing really well. They certainly cannot repeat the performance of this game in San Jose and expect to win.