Should Hawk Fans Be Scared?

Hawk fans were used to their team dominating other teams without too much gaps in between wins, but a recent uncanny slump has put the whole fan base on their edge of their seats. It's not just that they are losing, but they are looking bad when they are losing.

The 4-2 loss Sunday looked almost as bad as the 8-3 last Thursday to the fact that the Hawks lacked any work ethic or motivation. Injuries to Brian Campbell and Kim Johnsson can't be excuses for the teams' poor playing.

But if you remember, the Hawks went through something exactly like this last season at about the same time as this year.

Between March 7th and March 20th, of last season, the Hawks lost seven of their eight matches, but rebounded, winning nine out their last 12 games. This year the Hawks have lost six of their last eight games with the playoffs just around the corner.

"We went through something like this last year, and we came out of it better and stronger as a team," captain Jonathan Toews said. "We're not going to let something like this frustrate us and get us down. We're going to take it upon ourselves to be better and work on all areas of our game. We'll battle our way back on top and we'll get our confidence back and we'll be fine."

This year the Hawks are looking to start the end of the season right with a win over division rival St. Louis Tuesday night.

It's  the beginning of a three game road trip that will be the perfect challenge for the struggling Hawks team. A couple wins over the trip could be the exact pick-me-up the team needs, but playing well in those games is also a must.

"Every year you always have stretches you can reflect upon and you can build some character and a little adversity can be healthy for you," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Last year we experienced it at a comparable time (with) a similar trend we have going here now. It was a positive experience that we had off of it."

If there is a good side to this it's that the Hawks have eight games to get some matters straightened up. So don't panic Hawk fans. Well, not just yet.