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Hawks Hits: Biz Rightfully Rips Blackhawks, Bedard Defends Blashill
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- Hawks Hits: Biz Rightfully Rips Blackhawks, Bedard Defends Blashill
Hawks Hits: Biz Rightfully Rips Blackhawks, Bedard Defends Blashill
The Chicago Blackhawks fanbase has heavily criticized the team and head coach Jeff Blashill this season, as losses have piled up already, not even one full week into November.
After falling 5-3 to the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday, the Blackhawks have lost four straight games and seven of their last eight since Oct. 15. Their putrid 4-11-1 record has them as one of two NHL teams yet to reach double-digit points, and they've now been outscored 63-36, with a league-worst minus-27 goal differential.
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Even more alarming than the results, the Blackhawks continue to play a timid, ineffective brand of hockey in all three zones, a common theme in most of their 16 games. Fans and local media members have critiqued Blashill's group for that more than anything this year, and now the national media has joined them.
After the first period against Florida, the Blackhawks trailed 2-0 and were outshot and out-chanced 10-5 in 20 minutes. The road trip started horrendously, with poor puck play and defensive breakdowns too apparent once again, while the Panthers played their usual responsible, physical style.
During the intermission, the TNT panel shredded the Blackhawks for a woeful period, with analyst Paul Bissonnette offering some disparaging comments. He called the Blackhawks a soft hockey team without an identity, and used terms like "pathetic", "Mickey-Mouse hockey", and "AHL-level" to describe their performance and lack of playing the body.
The worst part… Bissonnette is correct in his assessment.
Biz on the Blackhawks: "I don't see a lot of identity. I see a soft team. They don't check well, they don't forecheck well. They don't really do anything well." pic.twitter.com/RG28XTv959
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) November 5, 2026
While the Blackhawks improved in the second period, Bissonnette's condemning comments continued during the second intermission. After 40 minutes, he was already sick of watching the Hawks, saying tuning in for the third period meant "more torture". As a local media member, that's often how it's felt when viewing the Blackhawks this season.
More from Biz: "I'm sick of watching this team play… more torture." pic.twitter.com/nNOuD4u1mo
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) November 5, 2026
After the game, Blashill was asked about Bissonnette's comments, which he obviously didn't hear from the bench or locker room. As he's done frequently this season during postgame media sessions, Blashill pushed back against the idea that the Blackhawks are a "soft" team.
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"I like Biz, I respect Biz, but I don't agree with his opinion," Blashill said. "I don't think we're soft. I don't think we've won enough games, so we have the record we have. You put yourself in position to be criticized… I'm sure he doesn't break our tape down on a regular basis. But again, we're subject to that criticism. Our record isn't good enough. Can we be a harder team? Forsure. We have to continue to build and find ways to win, but until you win, you don't get that respect."
Blashill can weave through difficult questions all he wants, but actions speak louder than words, and what the Blackhawks have put on tape through 16 games is completely unacceptable and nowhere near the expectation set heading into Year 5 of general manager Kyle Davidson's rebuild.
While that isn't and shouldn't be exclusively pinned on Blashill, it might anyway. The Blackhawks have two games remaining on the road trip, coming against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, two more Stanley Cup contenders. If the losing streak extends to six games, which seems entirely plausible, the team will return home to Chicago with four days off before returning to action.
If there's any point in the schedule for a major change to be made, that seems like the time. Whether that means removing Blashill from his current position, firing another member of his staff, or making a significant trade remains unknown, but the Blackhawks can't continue along the path they're currently on.
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Bissonnette's comments were harsh, but that doesn't make them false.
Hawks Hits vs. Florida
1. Bedard Defends Blashill
During captain Connor Bedard 's postgame media scrum, he was asked not only about Bissonnette's comments, but also about the criticism Blashill has fielded from the fans. Here was his response:
"Blash is great. We love Blash, we love how he approaches us and coaches our team. On a personal note, I know how much of a better hockey player he's made me in the last year and a bit here. He's given us the right message and the right formula, but we have to execute better for 60 minutes. We're not focused on outside [noise]; we're focused on internal. We feel like our whole coaching staff is doing a really good job, and we want to get some wins for them."
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While Bedard was never going to criticize Blashill, even if he feels differently, there's truth behind the statement that the players must execute better on the ice. The 4-11-1 mess isn't solely on Blashill, as he's not the one consistently failing to convert on scoring chances and playing without any sandpaper or nastiness.
2. Veterans Ineffective Again
With one of the youngest NHL rosters again this season, the Blackhawks need better play from their veterans than what they received on Wednesday, particularly in the top-nine forward group. Inconsistent and ineffective performances from guys like Tyler Bertuzzi , Teuvo Teravainen , and Ryan Donato have occurred too often, and it's cost the Blackhawks dearly.
The three forwards combined for zero shots on goal, zero hits, zero blocked shots, and one shot attempt against the Panthers. That's astoundingly unproductive. Without Patrick Kane and Bowen Byram in the lineup, the Blackhawks can't afford for their veteran cast to be as quiet as they were in Florida.
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For Bertuzzi, who's wearing a letter as an alternate captain this year for the first time with the Blackhawks, his inability to impact games regularly is jarring and downright intolerable. Bertuzzi has failed to record a point in seven of the last eight games, with only three hits and eight shots on goal during that stretch.
3. Defensemen Uninvolved
Going back to Saturday's loss against the Boston Bruins, it felt like the Blackhawks had turned a corner with their playing style, as the defensemen were much more involved in the offensive zone. The six defensemen in the lineup combined for 14 shots on net in Boston, which played a major role in the Hawks scoring four goals in a single game for the first time in over two weeks.
Well, the defensemen have reverted to their old ways ever since, with just five shots on goal from the blue line on Wednesday. Artyom Levshunov even received an opportunity to quarterback the top power-play unit for the first time this season, but he failed to do much on the Blackhawks' three attempts.
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What's also stood out in a negative light since Saturday's loss is the unwillingness to engage physically, with the defensive corps combining for only four hits against the Panthers. Levshunov, Alex Vlasic, and Sam Rinzel, who each played over 18:30, all failed to record a single hit against a physically formidable Florida bunch. That simply can't happen.
4. Boucher's Debut
With Kane out of the lineup due to an upper-body injury on Wednesday, the Blackhawks recalled 29-year-old winger Dillon Boucher to make his NHL debut in Florida. Boucher is an incredible story, having played in the ECHL for three years before finally getting promoted to the AHL last season.
While playing for the Blackhawks in this year's preseason, Boucher's physicality and eagerness to get involved in board battles and skirmishes stood out, and it ultimately led to his first NHL opportunity last night.
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Boucher played a team-low 8:10 and received only 11 shifts, yet he still tied the team lead with two hits in the game. That goes to show the tender style of play most of the team carries, having only 12 hits as a club against Florida.
With Boucher offering an aspect most Blackhawks don't provide, there's a chance he remains in the lineup for Thursday's matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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