With each recent game, there has been talk of progress.
Losses to Detroit and Toronto, a tie with Dallas–it didn’t matter. The Blackhawks left each game with positive feelings and something to hang their helmets on.
Not so on Thursday.
The Hawks got outshot, outscrapped and, most painfully, outscored by a skidding Washington team, dropping a 3-1 decision before 15,051 at the United Center.
Steve Konowalchuk’s power-play goal with 1 minute 13 seconds to play proved the game-winner. Peter Bondra added an empty-net goal with 5.1 seconds remaining.
“We didn’t have a very good effort tonight,” Chris Chelios said. “And there are no answers or excuses for it.”
Washington (9-16-3) entered having lost four in a row and nine of 11. But a four-day excursion to Las Vegas–which featured just two practices–appeared to have recharged the defending Eastern Conference champions’ batteries.
The Hawks (9-17-4), particularly on offense, were the ones who ended up playing as if they belonged in “Elvis on Ice.”
Penalties didn’t help, either. The Hawks seemingly spent the entire game killing penalties–taking 11 to the Capitals’ five–and survived two five-on-three disadvantages early in the third period.
But at 17:55, Doug Gilmour got whistled for cross-checking Richard Zednik. In the ensuing fracas, Zednik also got sent to the box for a 2-minute roughing penalty. But Mike Maneluk hit Benoit Gratton from behind and received a 4-minute roughing penalty.
Less than a minute later, Konowalchuk redirected a Calle Johansson slap shot past Jocelyn Thibault for the game-winner.
“Anytime you have to kill that many penalties, it is hard to conserve energy,” said Dave Manson, who scored the lone Hawks goal.
