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Flames hand Blackhawks their fourth loss in a row

flamesgetty

James OBrien

The Calgary Flames rode a TJ Brodie overtime goal to a 5-4 (OT) home win against Chicago on Tuesday, giving the defending champions their fourth loss in a row.

That might not sound like a big deal, but it’s at least unusual; this is their longest losing streak since the ‘Hawks dropped nine in a row back in 2012 (according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus).

Worse yet, this loss combined with the St. Louis Blues’ 3-0 win against the New Jersey Devils leaves both teams with 77 points, which means the Central Division is tied at first. (Technically, the Blues have the lead, as they’ve played three fewer games than Chicago.)

Tough times ahead ... at least until March

Now, it’s not time for the Blackhawks to panic, but this streak might get a little uglier before things turn around.

The Blackhawks continue this road run with five more away games, then send a slew of players to Sochi for the Olympics. After that, they open the post-Olympic break with a game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

In all, they’ll wait more than a month between home games (Jan. 26 to March 1), though the Olympics obviously skew that.

In other words, you might want to expect a few “What’s wrong with the Blackhawks?” articles ... at least until they play a ton of home games in March.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins