Blackhawks stars not carrying their weight on circus trip

When the door opened to the posh new visitors’ dressing room at Rogers Place following the Blackhawks’ most lopsided loss of the season, Corey Crawford was sitting at his stall in the far corner, ready as always to answer questions. Talking with reporters is never Crawford’s favorite activity, particularly after a loss, but he’s invariably at his stall, ready to face the music.

Other than Crawford, there weren’t many bodies in the room. Rookies Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Hartman were taking their time shedding their equipment, and Michal Kempny hung around a bit, too. But none of the Hawks veterans were at their stalls, leaving Crawford — who spent much of the first month of the season bailing out his teammates — alone to answer for a team loss after a rare off night.

Where was everybody? More important, where has everybody been?

There are always natural ebbs and flows to a season, and even superstars are entitled to a bad week or two. But it’s jarring how nearly all of the Hawks’ biggest names have sputtered at the same time on this circus trip. Jonathan Toews hasn’t scored a goal in seven games, and hasn’t had a point in all four games on the trip. Patrick Kane hasn’t scored on the trip, and has one goal in his last seven games. After his blistering start, Artem Anisimov has no goals and one assist in his last six games.

Artemi Panarin — who is emerging as one of the Hawks’ most important players, given his line’s consistently great possession numbers, and given the way he has rejuvenated Marian Hossa the same way he elevated Kane’s play last season — has just one goal in his last six games.

Even Richard Panik, who actually led the NHL in goals through six games, hasn’t scored in 14 games, and is pointless in his last 10.

The only veteran the Hawks can lean on lately is Hossa, who has eight goals in his last 10 games, including the game-winners in Calgary and Vancouver — a pair of comeback victories that have helped mask the Hawks’ unusually poor circus-trip performance. The Hawks lost in Winnipeg 4-0, trailed in Calgary, fell behind 3-0 to Vancouver before a remarkable comeback, and fell flat in a 5-0 loss at Edmonton.

In an unexpected role reversal, it’s the kids — Vinnie Hinostroza and Ryan Hartman, in particular — who are providing the spark offensively while the veterans struggle. And with the defending Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks and the rival Ducks and Kings looming, the stars need to start playing like stars again — or the Hawks’ last circus trip will be their worst one in a decade.

“When you don’t score in two of the three games, and you basically get production in one period out of nine, you’re looking for ways to generate,” Joel Quenneville said. “Vinnie’s line had a little bit of zip [Monday night]. But we need four lines going.”

Quenneville broke his own rule when he put Toews and Kane together on the top line, and 13 games into the experiment, it hasn’t been the offensive juggernaut he had hoped for. The line frequently has been underwater in terms of puck possession, and after a solid beginning, hasn’t produced much offense at all. Defensively, it’s been effective, particularly with Toews and Nick Schmaltz working together. But the goals haven’t been there.

To be fair, the Hawks had their share of chances against the Oilers, particularly in the second period. But the Hawks couldn’t solve Cam Talbot, who posted a 31-save shutout.

“Speaking for myself here, we might be nitpicking a little bit when we’re shooting the puck, trying to pick the perfect spot instead of just banging it in the net,” said Kane, who did come out to talk when requested Monday night.

It’s all nit-picking at this point. At 13-5-2, the Hawks are still the top team in the Western Conference by a healthy margin. And while we’re used to seeing them tear through the circus trip, the fact is they went 9-0-2 in the 11 games preceding it. Again, ebbs and flows.

The goals will start coming again. As Blues coach Ken Hitchcock put it, the Hawks’ “big dogs bite.” And while it’s encouraging that the young guys have been coming into their own, the Hawks, as ever, will only go as far as their core will take them.

“They’re driven by players that are wearing three Stanley Cup rings,” Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. “That’s what drives their team, including the coaching staff. The game is built around what they believe in, and if you’re a young player coming in there, you adjust to their game plan and you play the game. But they’re driven by their core on a nightly basis.”

Well, not every night. It can’t be every night. But it’s time for the core to take back the wheel.

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com

Twitter: @marklazerus