Shouldn’t there be a rule against worrying about anything concerning the Blackhawks until, say, March? I know getting angry about the power play is how a lot of people stay warm in the winter. But maybe turn it down from a bonfire to a blaze? It’s a long season. I worry about you people.

The bigger concern, of course, is whether the kinda-dynasty Blackhawks have come down to earth for good. They were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round the previous two seasons, and even though they won 50 games last season, the most in the Western Conference, they lost four straight games to the Predators in the postseason. So, yeah, the angst has as much to do with the recent past as it does the present. And, OK, the Hawks scored a total of three goals in those four losses.

-Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times where you can read more on the out of the playoffs Blackhawks.