The Blackhawks were sniffing a playoff spot at American Thanksgiving, trailing the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference by only one point from a points percentage standpoint. And they were coming off back-to-back contests in which they took three of four points from the hottest team in the NHL in the Dallas Stars, including a 3-0 shutout victory at the United Center on Tuesday.
But a home-and-home series this weekend against a decimated but speedy Colorado Avalanche team was a real opportunity for the Blackhawks to show their stripes and they weren’t competitive in either of the two games.