ANALYSIS: Blackhawks 'Flat' in Loss to Canucks at Home

Simply put, the Blackhawks just didn't have it on Monday night.
"I thought we were kind of flat," Alex DeBrincat said. "We tried to pick it up in the third period, but a little too late. We've got to come out better."
"It's not good on us to have two days at home to get ready for a big game," Connor Murphy added. "It can't happen at home to take that long to get into a game."

POSTGAME LINKS
GAMECENTER: CHI vs. VAN
RECAP: Blackhawks Fall to Canucks at Home, 3-1
HIGHLIGHTS: Blackhawks vs. Canucks
GALLERY: Blackhawks vs. Canucks
It was a big game because the Vancouver Canucks are one of the five teams the Blackhawks find themselves chasing in the hopes to make a push for a Wild Card spot in the postseason over the final now 37 games. Chicago found themselves in a 2-1 game with just under seven minutes to play courtesy of a late Murphy tally, but by and large, the visitors had all the momentum at the United Center.
Through the opening period, the Blackhawks had six shots that made it to Jaroslav Halak in net, a total by the night's end that stood at 21. On the flip side, a clearing attempt turned into Canucks goals a short time later in each of the first two periods, with Luke Schenn adding an empty netter from his own slot with 21 seconds to play to put it away for good.

"First few shifts, we just couldn't handle pucks. We were giving them away," interim head coach Derek King said. "I thought we settled in and we were kind of in it, but we made a couple mistakes and they capitalized. It seems to be our M.O. We don't have that luxury of making two or three mistakes. We have to play a pretty solid hockey game and we were just flat at times. We had a few pushes, but we were just a little flat."
Chicago is set two wrap their pre-All-Star schedule on Wednesday night with the third meeting in 11 days against the Minnesota Wild, second in the West on points percentage. They've also faced the Western leaders in Colorado a trio of times over the month, as well as a strong Anaheim club and a Detroit team in the hunt in the East. Before a well-deserved few days away, the Blackhawks know they need one more strong performance, or else they risk falling back of the playoff line by double digits to enter the home stretch.
"It is tough, especially when you feel like you play some decent games against good teams, you want to have that confidence boost and come away with points," Murphy said. "Unfortunately we're driven a lot in this league trying to find wins. You have to have wins and confidence boosts within shift and find ways to take from those games... We still have one more chance against a good team before the break."
"I think we've got to be way better come Wednesday if we're going to have a chance against them," DeBrincat added. "All around as a group, we've got to find a way to be ready for the game and be excited to play."