Follow JJ on Twitter @jaeckel!



For the second straight game, the Hawks gave up 5 goals or or more in a loss Saturday night—at home no less. It's hard to remember the last time that happened.

Defensive miscues and, as in the previous loss to Tampa, mediocre goaltending were to blame.

Give credit to the Wild; they were opportunistic and they made plays. Their goalie, Niklas Backstrom, was outstanding. The Hawks meanwhile, are playing sloppy hockey, especially in their own end.

Jeremy Morin and Brad Mills were the latest new faces in the lineup Saturday night. And while it would be completely unfair to blame either for the loss, you have to wonder if a lack of continuity on the lower lines isn't causing some problems for the Hawks in recapturing their defensive identity from last season.

Regardless, both Corey Crawford and Nikolai Khabibulin need to play better. And although he scored a nifty power play goal on a give and go from Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane has to be better than -3.

And Hawk defensemen need to be smarter and more focused in their puck decisions in their own end.

The Hawks sit at 6-2-3, not the worst place to be and probably lucky to have that strong a record. But with a road game at the Wild coming up tomorrow, they need to start getting their own house in order quickly.

I'll be back with a Wild Preview tomorrow.

All for now,


JJ

Join the Discussion: » 489 Comments » Post New Comment

» Thanks and Farewell

» Where do we go from here?

» Preds at Hawks Breakdown

» "All Teams Have Flaws"

» The Games You Should Win