Losing isn’t easy. When you lose repeatedly like the Chicago Blackhawks did last year and this year, it does more than just drop you back in the standings. When you lose a lot, the expectation coming into games is that you simply will not win.
Instead of fighting back or finding ways to win, teams seem to find new ways to lose. A losing culture is one that’s easy to form and hard to shake. Just ask defensemen Connor Murphy.
“Last year when we built up so many losses, guys (lost) confidence that the game’s going to go the right way,” said Murphy on Thursday.