Monday’s 5-2 defeat officially knocked the Hawks out of the race — a race the Predators look increasingly likely to win. But the Hawks have been realistically dead for a while.
The Blackhawks’ mathematical chance of qualifying for the 2021 playoffs died as quietly Monday as their realistic chance did two weeks ago.
The team had long ago accepted their fate, even before a 5-2 loss to the Hurricanes — their fifth consecutive defeat — dealt the official killing blow.
“It doesn’t change the message as far as what we’re trying to do,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “We have to get better, have to keep improving.”
“Obviously [it’s] not the spot we want to be in with four games left,” Alex DeBrincat added. “We had a good stretch there in the middle of the season, but you’ve got to play a full season. It’s tough. But these next four games, we’re still building for something in the future, still have to play hard.”
The Predators’ overtime win over the Blue Jackets and Stars’ overtime loss to the Panthers means the Central Division’s fourth and final playoff spot will almost certainly go to Nashville.
The Hurricanes, the division leader and current pacesetter in the Presidents’ Trophy race, raced to a 4-0 lead midway through and never looked particularly threatened. They finished with a 71-41 edge in shot attempts and 39-18 edge in scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick.
Collin Delia relieved Malcolm Subban, who continued the Hawks’ run of poor goaltending starts by knocking in the Canes’ first two goals himself, and provided a bright spot.
Making his first NHL appearance since Jan. 17, Delia stopped all 19 shots he faced, some in spectacular fashion, and made the Hawks’ decision to exile him from the goalie rotation for months seem questionable.
“I just want to battle for the team,” he said. “It’s definitely been a long, long road for me, but my focus is just trying to help the team win as best I can. And if that’s playing or if that’s [being] in a supportive role, so be it.”
Colliton has rotated the Hawks’ lineup heavily in recent games and likely will continue to do so. Nicolas Beaudin displaced Riley Stillman and Pius Suter returned in Brett Connolly’s spot Monday.
But turnovers have remained an issue, no matter the exact personnel.
“If we want more success, we have to manage the puck better,” Colliton said.” If we’re under pressure, we have to solve the pressure: support [each other], make enough plays to advance it, get through the neutral zone. There was some unforced stuff, too, that fed their transition [attack].”
Mitchell battling mental grind
Colliton was happy to see Ian Mitchell score a goal Monday to help boost his confidence.
The rookie defenseman, back in the lineup lately after more than a month mostly out of it, talked earlier in the day about how this season has mentally more than physically taxed him.
“When I was playing every night the first 30 games, I thought, ‘I’m really starting to get into a groove,’” he said. “But...a couple [bad] games and you get rattled, get thrown off your game. You really understand how difficult a league it is. I’m going to work really hard to try to get that consistency back.”
Mitchell cited “a couple not-so-great plays” he made March 18 and 20 against the Lightning as particularly discouraging for him.
“For a while, I was letting the time run out instead of trying to do good things, create offense,” he said. “Those are things I’ve been trying to get back in the time I haven’t been playing.”
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