Blackhawks Lose Sixth Straight in 9-2 Rout

The Chicago Blackhawks lost 9-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes, who scored the first seven goals and tied their franchise record for goals since moving to North Carolina. The defeat extended Chicago’s losing streak to six games, with the team losing nine of its last 10; Roman Kantserov and Connor Bedard scored late, and Kantserov extended his point streak to eight games. The rout followed a 5-3 loss to Florida, after which TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette criticized the Blackhawks as soft and lacking an identity, and coach Jeff Blashill questioned some players’ effort. Blashill has said only the games against Utah and Detroit fell short in compete level, distinguishing poor execution from insufficient effort; Bedard backed his coach after the Florida loss, saying the team needed to execute the approach more consistently. Chicago’s defensive breakdowns and poor results have intensified scrutiny and raised questions about possible changes.