Blackhawks' Goalless Stars Have Them Facing Weird New Reality: Early Elimination

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa get the big bucks—they're the three highest-paid forwards on the Chicago Blackhawks—so they get the most blame as to why the NHL's defending Stanley Cup champions are one first-round series loss away to St. Louis from being dethroned.

None of the three, who make a combined $26.25 million this season according to General Fanager, have scored a goal in the series, which continues with Thursday's Game 5 at Scottrade Center.

Of course, it's not as simple as that. Kane has four points in the series (all assists) and 17 shots on goal. Toews has two points, two assists and 14 shots. Hossa has only one point, but he's getting plenty of chances with 16 shots on goal so far.

While the lack of goal scoring from the big-money, big-minute, big-name stars is the macro problem, the micro issues concern the loss of depth that characterized last year's Cup winners. The Blackhawks still have plenty of filet mignon, but those quality side dishes are missing—the kind that make a truly great meal.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

General manager Stan Bowman has done an incredible job in his time with the team. He has skillfully restocked the pieces around the core players despite plenty of salary-cap problems. He's been rewarded with three Stanley Cups since taking over for Dale Tallon in 2009.

No matter what happens in this series, the Blackhawks' future remains bright with all their big guys locked up long term.

But the Blackhawks haven't had the kind of secondary support from the depth guys this year, and it has hurt them badly. Worse, it's showing exactly why they find themselves in a position they've known very few times in this run: the back-against-the-wall underdog. 

Last year, the Blackhawks got 14 points in 23 playoff games from Brad Richards. They got 11 points from Brandon Saad and three game-winning goals from Antoine Vermette. All three are gone now, and in their place are players such as Tomas Fleischmann (zero points in four games), Dale Weise (only one game played in the series, no points) and Richard Panik (zero points in three games). 

Last year, the Blackhawks had veteran depth defensemen such as Johnny Oduya and Kimmo Timonen, who each performed ably. This year, Chicago has been forced to play 37-year-old Michal Rozsival, with 24-year-old Trevor van Riemsdyk as a back-end pairing. The results have been lacking. Neither has a point, and they are a combined minus-8 through the four games.

Van Riemsdyk's giveaway to St. Louis' Alex Steen led to what was the game-winning goal for the Blues in their 4-3 Game 4 victory Tuesday night. 

Chicago's Andrew Ladd, acquired from Winnipeg at the trade deadline at a considerable cost, has no points in the series either. It's highly likely that the Blackhawks will not be able to afford the potential unrestricted free-agent's salary desires this summer.

Chicago's problems would likely be even more exacerbated had they not struck gold with 24-year-old Russian rookie Artemi Panarin. He has largely made fans forget about the loss of Saad to Columbus in a salary-cap sacrifice. But even he has struggled a bit in the series with one goal so far.

All of this shouldn't take away from a Blues squad that is playing like the veteran, composed team while the Blackhawks have looked like the undisciplined group. Chicago has taken a host of ill-timed penalties, most egregiously the cross-checking violation Andrew Shaw committed with 2:04 left in Game 4, which essentially wiped out any hope of a tying goal.

Shaw then compounded the issue by allegedly yelling a homophobic slur while in the penalty box, which was captured by cameras. (Shaw issued an apology for the slur on Wednesday, but the league suspended him for one game, fined him $5,000 for another obscene gesture toward officials and ordered him to undergo sensitivity training, as per NHL.com and NHL Public Relations).

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Stalwart Duncan Keith hurt his team with a third-period penalty that led to Jaden Schwartz's go-ahead goal in Game 4, and his absence in Game 1, while serving the last of a six-game suspension for an intentional stick to the face of Minnesota Wild's Charlie Coyle, was keenly felt.

It would be folly to count out the Blackhawks, though. In the Joel Quenneville era, as reported by the Chicago Tribune's Steve Rosenbloom, the Blackhawks have been down 3-1 in five previous series and forced seventh games in three of them, winning one in 2013 against Detroit.

Toews, Kane, Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford all have multiple Stanley Cup rings, and it's not like they're getting blown out against St. Louis. A bounce here or there and this series could have a reversed score. Each of the Blues' three victories has been by one goal, with one game going to overtime.

But if the Blackhawks want to have a chance at becoming the first team since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings to repeat as champions, then they need the big boys to get going. That's why they get the big bucks.

But they could use a little help from the bit players too.

Adrian Dater covers the NHL for Bleacher Report.