The Blackhawks’ most recent slide — they’ve gone 1-3-3 in the last seven games — have slowly erased any optimism that was building about a potential push for a playoff spot in the second half of the season.
This positive thinking was at its zenith after a 5-1 stretch ahead of the Winter Classic, with all five wins coming against Central Division opponents.
It’s all gone now, though, and it’s probably never coming back, because the Blackhawks already dug themselves a massive hole with a 3-16-3 stretch earlier this season that cost Joel Quenneville his job.