Hawks Need to Be Better Defensively At the All-Star Break

I have been seriously under the weather for the past week so I have missed a few posts but here is my Blackhawks assessment at the break:  The Chicago Blackhawks hit the All-Star break with a 29-15-6 record and 64 points.  The record is respectable but is good for only 4^th place in the wicked Central Division following two straight losses to Nashville.  The good news is the Hawks trail division, Western Conference, and NHL leader Detroit by just 3 points.  The Hawks will begin a 9 game road trip in Vancouver on Tuesday night following the All-Star weekend which interestingly enough will pit all of the Canucks on Team Alfie and all of the Hawks on Team Chara.  Maybe the bad blood will start a little early, although not likely in a game of this caliber.  The Hawks biggest issue this season has been turnovers in their own end that are ending up in the back of their net way too often.  Chicago has allowed 144 goals this season and only 5 other teams have allowed more.  The 3-1 loss to the Predators on Tuesday night was another glaring example.  On the first goal, Sean O’Donnell made the cardinal sin of hockey and through the puck up the middle which was promptly stolen and put behind Corey Crawford who was also being screened on the play by you guessed it the guy O’Donnell should have been covering.  On the second Predators goal Nick Leddy had the puck stolen behind the net when he failed to move the puck and a wide open Mike Fisher was fed the puck and scored another easy goal.  Just one game but I could give at least 50 more examples through the first half of the season just like it.  The defense needs to be better if this team is going to take the Central Division and make a deep run in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The more and more I see the more I believe a trade deadline deal for a top 4 defenseman is a necessity to shore up the defense.  The Hawks need a physical presence that can clear the puck out of the zone with regularity.  This could possibly be the toughest year in history to make it out of the Western Conference and the Hawks need to position themselves now.