The Blackhawks had Monday off to reflect on what exactly happened Sunday.
They allowed their arch rivals, the Red Wings, to overcome a two-goal, second-period deficit and hand the Hawks a 5-4 defeat at the United Center. The Hawks may hold a 17-point advantage over Detroit in the Central Division, but the Wings showed they are still a force in the Western Conference and likely will be big players when the postseason rolls around.
"They're still the team to beat in the West, I don't care what anyone says," said Hawks winger Andrew Ladd, who had his first career hat trick in the loss. "They have the lineup to do it. They've dealt with a lot of injuries this year and have managed to stay right in the playoff hunt. It was a test for us and we didn't meet that."
Photo: Ben Eager collides with Detroit's Todd Bertuzzi during Sunday's game. (Scott Strazzante/Tribune)
Much of the discussion on the street, message boards and radio has been focused on the Hawks' goaltending, which allowed five goals in the second period to tie a season-high for an opponent (Oct. 12 against Calgary in the first). Cristobal Huet yielded four Wings scores before being replaced by Antti Niemi.
Teammates are not blaming the goaltenders, however.
"We gave up two breakaways and even more than that," winger Kris Versteeg said. "Too many odd-man rushes. If you're a goalie, you're not going to stop it every time. Those guys have been just fine. It's us guys who have to really bear down."
The Hawks will return to practice Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday's game against the Kings at the United Center. That contest will begin a busy stretch for the Hawks, who will play six games in 11 days.
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The hawks are very likely to face and lose to the Red Wings again in the first round.