Blackhawks dealing with pressure of slump

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Sean ODonnell looked no further than Sundays Super Bowl for inspiration regarding the Chicago Blackhawks recent woes.

If you asked the (New York) Giants in week 10 or 12 how their season was looking, it wasnt too good. And that turned out OK, ODonnell said, referring to the champions. Before the five-(game winless streak) we were tied for first in the NHL. In the big picture, teams are going to have bumps.

True, all teams go through their ups and downs. But its still the how the Blackhawks downs have gone that is most troubling. And with another six straight games on the road, its not going to get any easier.

The Blackhawks will try to turn things around when they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. The 0-4-1 record in their last five is tough enough, but the Blackhawks road record hasnt been strong overall. Theyre 10-11-3 outside of Chicago this season, good for 20th in the league.

So considering the first trifecta didnt go so well, is there more pressure on this next set of three games?

I think you have to take it as a fresh start, Viktor Stalberg said. We had our goal to play about .500 in each leg, and we have to get back and start with that. Theres no point going and feeling you have to win three out of three. You have to start somewhere and you have to start picking up some points.

And it has to start in Denver. And according to the Blackhawks, it has to start with getting back to basics: make simple plays, put defense first and go from there.

ODonnell admits slumps are difficult.

When youre in the middle of it one it feels like youre drowning or swimming upstream. But wed rather go through it now than in April or potentially May, he said. I think were going to be better for it. Its going to get us back to our roots and how we need to play defensively. Thats been our Achilles heel the first 50 games. Well get out of this and move forward.

The Blackhawks have been saying all the right things through this slump. Now they have to do all the right things to end it. The pressures not going to get any lighter.

When things arent going your way you have to play simple and hard and things will turn around, Stalberg said. We have too much talent and were too good of a team in here not to turn it around.

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