The Chicago Blackhawks are struggling. The holiday break came just at the perfect time for them.
With their 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks enter the three-day holiday break losers of six straight games.
Without Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard in the lineup, it has been hard to muster up any offense. They need other players to step up, but they haven't been getting it done over this last little stretch. This recent slide has them all the way at the bottom of the league standings.
Blackhawks Enter Holiday Break On Six Straight Losses
The Chicago Blackhawks lost again on Tuesday night. This is their sixth straight loss, all in regulation, heading into the holiday break.
With the way things have been trending lately, this break could not have come at a more perfect time. The players will have a handful of days to reset, spend time with their families, and forget about hockey for a short time. After six straight losses and all of the on-ice adversity, it's much needed.
"I hope so," Ryan Donato said when asked if a break can help the group. "We're a young team. It's a long season. A couple of days with family and friends can create a positive energy change. Hopefully, we come back buzzing after the break."
Donato is one of the veterans on the team. At this point in his career, he's been a part of good runs and bad spells. It isn't a guarantee that the holiday time will reset them in a way that will lead to wins, but it's an opportunity to forget about it all for a couple of days so that they return to the rink feeling refreshed.
"I love Christmas," Jeff Blashill said when speaking on the upcoming time away. "I love seeing my family. I'm sure a number of guys are the same way. Whether we were humming or not, this break was coming. The fact that we are in a grind right now, that might be a good thing for us to get a reset".
The Blackhawks don't have anything easy coming up after the break, however. They have to travel to Texas to play an elite Dallas Stars team on Saturday to open up play following the break.
"We got a hard schedule coming out of [the break]," Blashill continued. "Flying to Dallas that first day coming out is a hard thing, but we're going to have to find a way to grind."
Chicago still has some struggles ahead, especially without Bedard and Nazar. However, they can use this reset to focus on how they can get out of their current situation.
Continuing some of the good habits that they established against the Flyers and building on them with some more finish to their offensive game is the key.
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