Nobody in Chicago is happy about how their first two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have gone, especially not the Blackhawks players themselves. How could they be, the post-season could hardly have started out worse for them.
Veteran blueliner Brian Campbell weighed in on their performance against Nashville so far saying, “I don’t think we’re shocked that Nashville’s a good team. We knew it was going to take our best effort”.
That sentiment has been proven true, but unfortunately for Chicago they haven’t even come close to mustering their “best effort”.
Niklas Hjalmarsson confirmed that nobody has any delusions in the Blackhawks dressing room: "We had two really bad games and we all know it. We know we’ve got to be better".
But is it too little, too late? With the Predators riding so high, and their goalie Pekka Rinne so hot, can the Blackhawks gain a grip on the series as they head into Nashville?
Hjalmarsson still has faith: "We usually find a way to play our best when the big games are ahead of us. It doesn’t get much bigger than this".
He’s got that right.
If Chicago can’t drastically turn their play around in Game 3, it might already be all over but the crying for the Blackhawks.
It’s do-or-die time as the Predators will look to take a strangle hold on the series in Nashville for Game 3 on Monday, April 17th.
