Great hockey teams have great defense.  That's why I've sadly come to the conclusion that the Chicago Blackhawks have a ways to go to be discussed as a potential winner of Lord Stanley's Cup.

Reeling from Saturday's mind numbing loss to Philadelphia, the Hawks returned home Sunday to meet the best team in hockey this season, the Washington Capitals.  The Hawks took a 3-0 lead and should have run away with the game following the first period ejection of Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, who checked defenseman Brian Campbell into the boards from behind, resulting in Campbell shattering his collarbone.

In the third period, the previously lifeless Capitals woke up and scored three goals in the third period, netting the game winner in OT.  It was another loss for the Hawks when they led big.  3-0 in a hockey game is like being up 28-0 in football or 6-0 in baseball.  It's hard to come back from that, but the Hawks, at least lately, have allowed opponents back in the game when they should have sealed the deal.

In addition to another horrible loss, the Hawks have physically lost Campbell, one of their top defensemen for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs.  I thought the hit Ovechkin put on him wasn't 100% clean, but didn't warrant a game misconduct.  When you consider the size of the players and the rate of speed that they are flying around at, hits like the one on Campbell are probably unavoidable.  I didn't think Ovechkin went out of his way to injure Campbell or took a run at him.  He also didn't go to his head, which is a big concern among NHL administrators these days.

No doubt the NHL will look it over and decide if it warrants a suspension, fine or both.  But given Ovechkin is one of the two best forwards in the game, chances are he will probably just have some pay withdrawn.  The league certainly can't afford to lose him for ten games and the NHL, like every other league on the planet, always looks the other way when a star is involved.

The Blackhawks need to circle the wagons and figure out how to keep a lead.  It doesn't matter how many goals you score if your defense can't protect it.  And with Brian Campbell out, the Hawks can protect it less.