Blackhawks seek positives following elimination from playoff race

CHICAGO -- At this time of the season, Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville usually is talking about where his team is in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and how they have to play down the stretch to maintain their edge entering the postseason.
But there was a decidedly different vibe as he walked to the lectern Tuesday. For the first time in Quenneville's tenure in Chicago, there is no playoff run for which to prepare.

The inevitable became official when the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Blackhawks 5-1 at United Center on Tuesday. The Blackhawks (30-35-9, 69 points) have lost six of their past seven games (1-5-1) and were mathematically eliminated by the Avalanche (40-25-8, 88 points), who hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference and are two points behind the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division.
It's the first time the Blackhawks have missed the playoffs since the 2007-08 season; Quenneville became coach in October 2008.
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"It's been a tough, tough stretch here," Quenneville said. "This has been the one year where we were more unpredictable in our game."
Although the Blackhawks' playoff chances had been slim for a while, it didn't make the finality of being eliminated any easier.
"Obviously it's one of those runs you want to keep going," right wing Patrick Kane said. "We had a disappointing second half of the season, to say the least. It seemed like a lot of the games throughout the year kind of went the way they did tonight, where we score first and give up one, lose the momentum and just can't regain it. Disappointing season, yeah."
The Blackhawks were faring better in December, but goaltender Corey Crawford sustained an upper-body injury and hasn't played since Dec. 23. Crawford was 16-9-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .929 save percentage when he was injured. Asked what could have been if Crawford stayed healthy, Quenneville shrugged.

"You're always going to have years where you'll have significant injuries," he said. "Some things go against you and we've always been able to overcome them and find ways and rectify tough situations and get back on track. This year we've been unable to do it."
Can the Blackhawks quickly turn things around and contend for a playoff spot next season? They consider their opponent Tuesday a good example of the possibilities. The Avalanche finished last in the League last season with 48 points (22-56-4). Now they're in a playoff spot.
"There's a great example, the team we played today, of how far out you can be and how quickly you can recapture that winning attitude and feeling," Quenneville said. "Things can go right, from goaltending to special teams to top players. There are a number of ways you can make a difference."
The Blackhawks' playoff streak is over. It's a surreal and unfamiliar feeling for them. But with eight regular-season games remaining, they'll try to find some type of positive finish.
"Just try to win every game. Take every game as a new experience," Kane said. "We're playing some teams that are kind of ... we have rivalries with. Be excited to play those games. Try to play well in front of our home crowd. We're playing in the NHL, we're playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, we're playing in front of 21,000 fans every night. That's enough motivation right there."