BLACKHAWKS STOPPED BY JACKETS

The Blackhawks offense has been rolling for most of the year, scoring four goals on average and covering up for their occasional defensive lapses. On Wednesday night in Columbus, we saw what happens when the team fails to score. The Blue Jackets held Chicago to one goal on 18 shots in a decisive 4-1 victory.

The Hawks kicked off the scoring in the first period with Martin Gelinas scoring his 8th of the season, assisted by Cliff Ronning. It was all Columbus after that however, with Probert, Carpenter, and Chelios scoring in the second period and Simpson adding one more in the third. Mike Richter stopped 17 of 18 to easily win the goalie matchup with Rick Tabaracci, who made 25 saves on 29 shots.

"We just didn't have our legs tonight. The skating wasn't there, we got away from our game plan, wasted time and effort chasing the puck," said Head Coach Wayne Cashman. "Give their defense some credit too. They have lots of talent and experience on that blue line and it showed tonight. Maybe our worst game this year."

The Blackhawks will need to fix these issues for tomorrow's game vs. Colorado. The Rockies come into Chicago with a 4-0-1 record in their last 5 games and an offense that can outscore any team in the league. It should be a good test to see where the teams stack up about 1/3 of the way through the 1996 season.