In a season already filled with disastrous, hard-to-watch losses, Saturday’s was the worst one yet, and that’s really saying something.

The Chicago Blackhawks (4-13-1) saw their losing streak reach six games with an utterly embarrassing 9-2 pounding from the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes (14-3-2) at the Lenovo Center.

During the three-game Southeast road trip, the Blackhawks went 0-3-0 and were outscored 18-6. They’re now 0-8-1 in nine road games this season.

In a matchup between teams trending in two vastly different directions, Carolina showed why they’re currently the NHL’s top team and wear the ultimate crown, while the Blackhawks played like bottom-feeders once again.

The Hurricanes scored the game’s first seven goals, all coming at 5v5, in the opening 40 minutes on Saturday. Through two periods, the Blackhawks had only 22 shot attempts, nine shots on goal, and three high-danger scoring opportunities. The gap between the clubs was astonishing, but not surprising, considering how poorly the Hawks have fared all season.

In the third period, the Blackhawks at least didn’t go down without a fight, with Roman Kantserov and Connor Bedard each scoring to try and make the score look somewhat reasonable.

However, the Hurricanes responded with another wave before the final horn sounded, scoring two more goals and securing their second seven-goal win this week.

Carolina is the first NHL team since the St. Louis Blues in February 1990 to have multiple seven-goal wins in seven days. The defending champions are a wagon once again, while the Blackhawks are a colossal mess.

Seth Jarvis, Jackson Blake, Jordan Martinook (2), Andrei Svechnikov (2), Sebastian Aho, Alexander Nikishin, and Shayne Gostisbehere scored for Carolina on Saturday. Only three of the team’s 18 skaters failed to record a point: Mark Jankowski, Jalen Chatfield, and Jacob Slavvin.

Svechnikov (2G), Martinook (2G), Gostisbehere (1G, 1A), Nikishin (1G, 1A), Aho (1G, 2A), William Carrier (2A), Eric Robinson (2A), and Jesperi Kotkaniemi (2A) each had multi-point outings.

Pyotr Kochetkov moved to 11-1-0 this season, stopping 18 of 20 shots. Kochetkov has allowed only 20 goals in 12 games.

Bedard and Kantserov scored for Chicago, with the latter extending both his point streak (eight games) and goal streak (four games). Bedard (1G, 1A) and Alex Vlasic (2A) each tallied two points.

Spencer Knight allowed six goals on 17 shots in 30:36, with Arvid Soderblom replacing him in relief near the midway point. Soderblom allowed three goals on 16 shots.

Here are highlights (lowlights?) from the Blackhawks’ 9-2 loss to the Hurricanes, as they’ve now lost 14 of 18 games this season.

First Period

Carolina needed less than 100 seconds to find the back of the net, with Jarvis opening the scoring at 1:34 with his second goal of the season. 1-0, Hurricanes. Bedard blocked K’Andre Miller’s point shot, but the puck carromed right to Jarvis at the left circle.

Blake added to Carolina’s lead at 3:21, capping off a beautiful give-and-go passing play with Nikolaj Ehlers off the rush. Blake shipped the puck to Ehlers at the left flank, beat Wyatt Kaiser to the front of the net, then deflected a perfect pass past Knight. 2-0, Hurricanes.

Blake’s fifth goal of the season extended his point streak to nine games. The Kaiser-Levshunov pairing got off to a rough start, as they were on the ice for both goals against.

Martinook extended Carolina’s lead to 3-0 at 10:54, burying a pass from Kotkaniemi on a 2-on-1 rush for his third goal of the season. The Hurricanes eviscerated the Blackhawks 2-1-2 forecheck in transition. Probably time to change the system…

Martinook added his second goal of the period at 19:27, finding a loose puck in front of Knight to extend Carolina’s lead to 4-0. Robinson and Kotkaniemi earned their second assists of the period.

The Hurricanes scored four 5v5 goals to take a 4-0 lead into the intermission, while outshooting the Blackhawks 14-7. Carolina also led 16-6 in scoring chances.

Second Period

Svechnikov made it 5-0 for the Hurricanes at 4:43 in the second period, shortly after Kantserov committed a defensive-zone turnover. Svechnikov gained possession, danced around Tyler Bertuzzi in the slot, then followed up on his own rebound from off the post for his eighth goal of the season.

Aho extended the lead to 6-0 at 10:36, as the Blackhawks surrendered yet another odd-man rush. Kaiser committed a horrendous offensive-zone giveaway with three forwards down low. Sean Walker found Aho on a 2-on-1 for his 10th goal of the season.

In his season debut, Nikishin put Carolina up 7-0 at 18:06, with a shot from the right point deflecting off Oliver Moore and past Soderblom, who entered for Knight in relief. The extra point is good!

Through 40 minutes, Carolina nearly had as many goals (7) as the Blackhawks did shots on goal (9). Chicago also had only three high-danger scoring chances in two periods.

Third Period

Kantserov got the Blackhawks on the board at 5:56 in the third period, skating to the slot and burying a pass from Bedard for his team-leading ninth goal of the season. 7-1. Kantserov extended both his point streak (eight games) and his goal streak (four games). Bedard has now recorded a point in eight of his last nine games.

Bedard added another point with his fifth goal of the season, batting a bouncing puck from off the end boards past Kochetkov at 13:41. 7-2. Bedard now has three multi-point efforts in his last five games.

Less than three minutes later, Gostisbehere restored Carolina’s six-goal advantage, wiring a shot over Soderblom’s blocker at 16:18. 8-2. Logan Stankoven extended his point streak to five games with the secondary assist.

The Hurricanes kept playing until the final horn, with Svechnikov scoring his second goal at 19:47. 9-2, Carolina. Soderblom ended up allowing more goals than Kochetkov. Utterly ridiculous.

The final horn sounded at the Lenovo Center, signaling the Blackhawks’ ninth straight road loss and sixth straight loss overall. With the next four days off before returning to action against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, major changes could and should be coming.