It's halfway through the season and the Chicago Blackhawks find themselves sitting out of the playoff hunt yet again.

Chicago had an excellent run going in the second half of December winning four straight against opponents such as Ottawa and Nashville, then racked up another point in an OT loss to Los Angeles.

In the new year, Chicago is a brutal 0-4, getting swept in their Western road trip to Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Anaheim. An injury-prone roster does not help the Hawks cause at all. With two of their top five scorers out (Toews and Williams) and defensman such as Sopel and Wisniewski, the Blackhawks must find the path to victory if they want to keep up their playoff hopes.

Martin Havlat, who has missed a total of 28 games this season, returned to the lineup in Sunday night's 3-1 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings, a team the Blackhawks are 4-1 against.

Tuesday night the Hawks travel to Montreal to take on the 20-13-8 Canadiens. Montreal has fought their way into the playoffs, sitting in the fifth spot as of Jan. 7. Can the Hawks step up their game and get their first win of 2008? With Havlat back in the lineup and Jason Williams expected to return soon, the Blackhawks look like they could be on the path to victory yet again.

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