The 2026-27 NHL season is quickly getting away from the Chicago Blackhawks, who have lost six games in a row, the most recent a lopsided 9-2 defeat at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

With nine losses in their last 10 games overall, Chicago is 4-13-1 and dead last in the Central Division. They're also 31st league-wide, ahead of only the Vancouver Canucks.

The team held a players-only meeting in Raleigh on Saturday, which captain Connor Bedard addressed afterward.

“Just kind of giving ourselves a chance to get some frustration out,” Bedard told reporters, per NHL.com. “There’s a lot of belief and a lot of love for each other. (It’s) a very tight-knit group. It’s been a tough start. Obviously it’s not what we expected. Every guy knows that we’ve got a little more.”

No. 98 continued: “There's frustration. When you're waking up and going to bed, you're thinking about the record. I think what we've been able to do really well is every practice, every pregame skate, every lunch, dinner, every time we hang out, we still have that camaraderie and that joy to be at the rink. But at the end of the day, we've got to be better.”

Although there have been rumblings that Chicago was considering a coaching change, multiple reports, including one from The Athletic's Scott Powers, indicated that the team is not considering replacing head coach Jeff Blashill at this point.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow. At the end of the day we got our butts kicked,” Blashill said of the latest loss. “We’ve got to make this kind of a bottom point in the year. We have to find a way to claw our way out of this.”

Article Continues Below

The Blackhawks haven't advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2019-20 and look closer to landing a high lottery pick than earning a postseason berth this year.

“It's not rocket science. It’s not good enough,” Bedard added. “We know that. We've got a few days of practice to get better. Try to just wipe this and start 0-0 and start winning some games. There's belief in the room. There's belief in everyone from players, coaches, management. We believe in what everyone is trying to do.”

Following Saturday's loss, the Blackhawks are off until Thursday, when they begin a four-game homestand against the Buffalo Sabres at United Center.