I'm going to dispense with the usual recap tonight, as the Chicago Blackhawks absolutely pissed away 2 points at home to the lowly New Jersey Devils tonight, losing 5-3.

The Devils came in at the end of a long road trip after learning they lost Zach Parise for 3 months. Half way through the game, the Hawks were being outskated, outworked and outhustled when Martin Brodeur left the game with an injury and a 2-0 lead.

There is no good or ugly tonight, only bad. Joel Quenneville decided the best team he could ice included defenseman Jordan Hendry on one wing, and albatross John Scott on the other for the fourth line.

Quenneville had the good fortune last season of having an embarassment of riches among his forwards, so he could roll four lines in virtually any combination, and one of the lines would produce enough scoring to eventually carry the day.

However, not only does Quenneville not have that luxury this season, but the players who are up front are not playing with the hatred of losing they had last year. At some point, they have seemingly lost their need to win. Where last season it seemed that everyone wanted to be the hero every night, everyone seems to be looking at each other waiting for someone else to step up now. Instead the Devils won tonight because Marty Turco couldn't be bothered to hug the post when the puck was behind his net.

It's past the time for saying "it's still early". It no longer is. The time is now. This team needs to once again play with fire, with urgency.

They need to play like champions.

All you newer Blackhawks fans - what you saw tonight is what Blackhawks hockey looked like before Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews came to town.

The difference is, they're here now. These are games where the Blackhawks need to just curbstomp an opponent who is damn near defeated before they put on their skates.

Before the next game on Saturday, the Blackhawks need to each look inside themselves and decide whether they are defending the Stanley Cup, or merely handing it over. Because after being the best team in hockey last year, there are far too many nights now where they aren't even the best team on the ice in their own building.