Unacceptable

Yes, the Blackhawks won tonight. Yes, it was their fifth win in a row. Yes- like every win will, from now through the end of the season- it set a new record for the most victories ever by a Blackhawks team. Yes, it also set a record for the most points any team in franchise history has amassed, with 109. Yes, that record, too, figures to be broken more than once by season's end. And yes, with their victory tonight the Blackhawks have, once again, the best record in the Western Conference, having the same number of points as San Jose but winning the tiebreaker by having more victories.

But tonight's effort is still unacceptable. The Hawks led 4-1 after the first period, and 6-2 after the second. Yet they managed nothing more than to hang on, defeating the eminently beatable St. Louis Blues 6-5.The pattern of blowing- or nearly blowing- games they have dominated and seem to have wrapped up by becoming sloppy at the end has been a troublesome one late in the season. And if they're going to have any shot at all at their first Stanley Cup since 1961, it's a pattern they're going to have to put behind them once and for all.

We are at the point in the season where this sort of thing becomes very worrisome indeed. It has to stop- now.