TAKEAWAYS: Blackhawks 'Need to Be More Mentally Prepared' Following Loss

In a chance to put the Blackhawks on the board first within the first few minutes of the game, Andreas Athanasiou found the back of the net to try and change the team's luck around. However, the goal would be waved off after the Jets challenged an offside call to take away the lead. From there, Chicago would lose 7-2 to Winnipeg and record their seventh straight loss.
"Obviously, it's not a fun feeling at all with a performance like that especially in your own building," Jonathan Toews said. "Ultimately, we're kind of in a situation here where we loss quite a few games and it's not a good feeling. It's easy when you don't have those balances to let it deflate you."

FINDING THE MENTAL STRENGTH

Although he believes the team struggled within the first period, head coach Luke Richardson points to the number of chances the team created in the second and third periods to try keep themselves in the game. He felt that if the team was a little quicker within the different zones, then they could have produced more and defender harder.
"We had lots of good chances in the O-zone," Richardson said. "We are sometimes just unaware in certain areas defending and it's just seems like you play good teams with [Mark] Scheifele and [Kyle] Connors and they're going to score. We have to obviously score more goals to win a game, but we can't give up the goals that we're giving up right now."

Toews mentioned the lack of mental preparedness during the matchup. With seven straight losses, he feels the team needs to continue battling through the games no matter what the circumstances are to play a full 60-minute game.
"I think we all agree that as a group we need to be more mentally prepared," Toews said. "Even if there's nights where it's a long season, sometimes you don't have your energy, you don't have it and we just got to find ways to play a better team game and keep yourself in games."
One of the signs that Richardson notes is that some of the team's weaker skills come from players overperforming. Some of these actions could be from overpassing or overthinking on a scoring opportunity.
Throughout the last few games, the first-year coach and his staff sit the players down and not only show them their downfalls, but the positives as well. By doing this, he hopes it will help keep the team's confidence up heading into the tougher challenges ahead.
"I think you just have to make them aware of it and make sure that we get better at it," Richardson said. "We can't just say, 'oh yeah, I should have done better,' we have to act better. Otherwise in the NHL your time doesn't last long."

UPCOMING

The Blackhawks will continue their Home for the Holidays series and face the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday with a 8:30 p.m. puck drop.