All season long, the Blackhawks have taken one step forward and two steps back. It's been an exhausting roller coaster.
But since mid-December, the Blackhawks had started to turn things around, at least from a results standpoint. They picked up seven wins in their last 10 games after defeating the Detroit Red Wings to open a four-game homestand and had a prime opportunity to make up some ground on the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators, both of whom are outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference but ahead of the Blackhawks in the standings.
After falling 2-1 to the Flames on Tuesday in a tight-checking game, the Blackhawks responded with a poor effort in the first period on Thursday and quickly found themselves in a 3-0 hole.