Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill is a Christmas guy, but the team’s recent downturn has made it harder for him to get into the holiday spirit.
After their 3-1 loss Tuesday night to the Flyers, the Hawks have a six-game losing streak and are without forwards Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. Bedard hasn’t played since Dec. 12 because of an upper-body injury, and Nazar will miss about four weeks after taking a shot to the right cheek Saturday.
The good vibes from the Hawks’ strong start have largely dissipated as their performance has dipped because of injuries and late-period meltdowns. Without Bedard and Nazar, it’s going to be a challenge for the Hawks to create scoring chances.
‘‘Certainly, there are times where you have to kind of play a different style,’’ Blashill said after the morning skate. ‘‘Even through my time when I first got to Detroit [as the Red Wings’ head coach], we had lost a number of good players through retirement, and you [have to] stop playing a certain style and look at a different way to play.
‘‘It’s just [about] simplifying things and playing a little more direct. For us, in the long term, it’s still part of the solution, too, in being predictable to each other that way. Then you do that with Connor and Frankie back in the lineup at some point, you’re still dynamic but more predictable.’’
The Hawks nearly executed their new game plan to success last week against the Maple Leafs before yielding two late goals and falling 3-2. They leaned into their defense because they were without Bedard, who had scored or assisted on 48.4% of their goals this season until his injury. The Hawks have scored more than two goals only once in six games since Bedard went down.
To escape this lull, the Hawks will have to have some of their young forwards — Oliver Moore, Nick Lardis and Ryan Greene — step up in the absences of Bedard and Nazar.
‘‘[The] majority of our players are younger, so I think it should make everyone feel comfortable and allow them to just be themselves and step up and give what they have to try to be productive,’’ defenseman Connor Murphy said.
‘‘We have guys that are out injured, [so] it brings more ice time to other players. Then for [the young players], they have a chance to step up and be in some big situations that you might not have been in all year.’’
Murphy is the longest-tenured player on the Hawks and has experienced his fair share of losing streaks in recent years. With the Hawks’ lineup skewing younger, Murphy said it’s going to be critical for the team to avoid trying to play perfectly.
‘‘You almost need to do the other way around and bring a full amount of energy and compete level,’’ he said.
Murphy said the Hawks still have confidence because their strong start showed they have the ability to play good hockey. Now it’s about reverting to those habits from earlier in the season. How they play without Bedard and Nazar will depend on how well they tighten up defensively and whether they can embrace a more grind-it-out style of offense.
‘‘We’ve lost arguably two of our top skill players, [but] that doesn’t preclude you from winning,’’ Blashill said. ‘‘You just have to win in a different way, and that’s kind of been our message to our guys.’’