Blackhawks lament penalty-kill struggles for slow start

The Chicago Blackhawks aren't particularly used to cold streaks, but when pinpointing the reasoning behind a 2-3 start, the club is blaming a paltry penalty kill.

The Blackhawks rank dead last in the NHL with a 47 percent penalty-kill rate, and have allowed an astounding 11 power-play goals through five games.

"We have to hit the reset button and just bear down and find a way to get it done because it's losing us games right now," defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, following Friday's 3-2 loss to Columbus.

"Everything can be better and everything must be better soon," Hjalmarsson added.

Captain Jonathan Toews echoed Hjalmarsson's comments.

"It's just not good enough," Toews told Lazerus. "We deserve all the criticism."

Luckily for Chicago, their power play is currently clicking at 35.7 percent, but will have to straighten out their inefficiencies while down a man in order to sustain success.