BREAKING: Winter Classic comes at unfortunate time for struggling Blackhawks, who don't fit the festive mood

At 12-23-2, having lost four straight games to fall back into last place in the NHL standings, the Hawks hardly match the vibe of the NHL’s biggest regular-season event. But they’ll head outside nonetheless to face the Blues at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.

The 2024-25 Blackhawks need to thank the 2017-18 Sabres.

Only because of those atrocious Sabres are these Hawks not the worst team ever to play in a Winter Classic, which they will do Tuesday at Wrigley Field against the Blues.

At 12-23-2, having lost four straight games to fall back into last place in the NHL standings, the Hawks hardly fit the vibe of the NHL’s biggest regular-season event. The league will put on a fantastic show, Wrigley will provide a romantic setting and Chicago hockey fans will create a good atmosphere, but the Hawks will not put a high-quality product on the ice.

Nor will the Hawks’ players or coaches wake up Tuesday in a particularly festive mood. It probably would’ve worked better if the Winter Classic happened back on Dec. 20, when the Hawks had won three straight and at least felt optimistic about interim coach Anders Sorensen’s positive impacts.

But now, coming off 6-2 and 5-1 losses within the last four days, they’re feeling discouraged, defeated and despondent — the opposite emotions from those the NHL wants the Winter Classic, a celebration of hockey’s outdoor roots, to evoke.

“I was in the Uber over here and I’m like, ‘F, I wish last night would’ve went a lot better than it did,’” forward Taylor Hall said Monday. “It does take a little bit of the shine away from the event with how we’ve played the last two games, but that’s sports.”

The team will need to make a concerted effort to lift themselves up Tuesday morning.

“[This is a] very disappointing point in the season, but this a cool event you’ve got to soak in,” Jason Dickinson said. “It’s not something you get to experience every day. It’s something you’ve got to cherish and enjoy with the people around you.”

Winter Classic comes at unfortunate time for struggling Blackhawks, who don't fit the festive mood — The Blackhawks acclimated to the Wrigley Field rink during practice Monday.

It’s a similar situation to the 2017-18 Sabres, who entered the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day at Citi Field in New York with an abysmal 10-20-8 record. They rallied from two goals down but fell 3-2 in overtime against the Rangers, who also ended up missing the playoffs that year.

The other worst teams in the Classic’s 17-year history are the 2018-19 Hawks (who entered the game 15-20-6 and lost) and last season’s Kraken (who entered the game 14-14-9 but won).

Poor TV ratings for that Kraken-Golden Knights matchup at T-Mobile Park in Seattle prompted the NHL to return to two historic franchises and a more famous venue for this year’s Classic. But considering the 17-17-4 Blues are merely a middling team in their own right, excitement for this matchup seems relatively low again — with good reason.

Avoiding going up against college football playoff games — because of the move to New Year’s Eve — should help those aforementioned TV ratings, but a lofty figure seems unlikely.

Meanwhile, fans, players and league officials are all collectively rooting for forecasted rain Tuesday morning to stop hours before the 4 p.m. game, as it is supposed to. After the sun went down Monday — despite mild 40-degree temperatures — the ice was in good shape.

“The ice was amazing for how much rain we’ve had in Chicago. I was really impressed,” Hall said. “The lighting is going to be better the darker it gets and the more the spotlight is on the ice surface.”

Petr Mrazek will start in goal for the Hawks, and forward Craig Smith will make his return from a back injury, Sorensen said.