from Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times,

...the Hawks find themselves at the bottom of the Central Division, unable to make up any ground on division foes who just keep winning. Their 2-0 loss Monday to the East-leading Lightning, their third consecutive defeat, left them seven points behind the Avalanche and Wild, both of whom won to extend their hot streaks. The Hawks played well, but an 0-for-6 effort on the power play and a disastrous short-handed goal against doomed them.

‘‘That hole’s getting deeper,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said.

The Hawks have scored six goals in their last five games, so they certainly deserve their spot in the standings. Still, Saad’s not entirely wrong. The Hawks are on an 87-point pace, nowhere near good enough but hardly putrid. Those 2015-16 Blue Jackets finished with 76 points. The Avalanche finished with 48 last season.

Throw in the occasional standout game against the Jets and the occasional trampling of teams from the Penguins to the Blue Jackets to the Senators, and the Hawks think they’re better than the standings suggest. Which only makes their predicament more frustrating.

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