As indignant responses go, weak. Surprisingly weak.

“We were,’’ murmured captain Jonathan Toews, searching frantically for any sight of a pony in a stable full of dung, “better than last night . . .

“But it doesn’t take much to do that. We’ve got to find a way to get our confidence back. Because it obviously isn’t there right now.

“That doesn’t mean you don’t stop working, you don’t stop trying.

“We all respect each other, we all like each other in this room, nobody’s going anywhere.’’

Having been mauled 8-4 by the bottom-feeding Edmonton Oilers 24 hours earlier, eviscerated for eight points by Sam Gagner, their pride in tatters and ample amends to be made, you expected the Chicago Blackhawks to explode out of the gate at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday night hell-bent on savage retribution, eager to strut their undeniable quality.

Insulted. Irate.

Personally affronted.

Well braced for a tempest, observers sat through a drizzle.

“Stretches like this,’’ acknowledged Hawks’ coach Joel Quenneville in the aftermath of further deflation, a 3-1 setback to the goal-challenged Calgary Flames, “certainly get your attention.’’

That’s five losses on the trot for the Hawks, universally expected to jostle for the top seed in the West, and their seventh in a row away from the United Center dating all the way back to Dec. 20. Sounds wildly improbable, given the top-end talent, but the Hawks clearly lack conviction at the moment.

“Nobody’s going to give us a win,’’ sighed defenceman Brent Seabrook.

“We’ve got to go out there and take it, work for it, fight for every two points,” Seabrook continued. “Nobody’s going to give us goals. We’ve got a tough division, the Central Division. We’ve got to go out and play a solid defensive hockey game and not try to blow teams out. When things don’t go our way we’ve got to continue to push forward and work.

“It’s going to be a dogfight to make the playoffs. We’ve got to get going.’’

Too many Hawks weren’t willing to be difference-makers Friday. Toews’ effort indicated he was clearly POed by what’s going on. But Patrick Kane might as well have been floating around wearing that photo op All-Star Game cape and those x-ray specs for all he accomplished. Marian Hossa? Give the bloodhounds a sniff of a piece of No. 81’s clothing and send a search team out to knock on doors. Brendan Morrison’s return to old stomping grounds fizzled out quickly,

The Dynamic Duo on Defence, Seabrook and Duncan Keith, logged their customary massive minutes but Keith was burned on a time-zone-clearing Alex Tanguay pass that sent Flames’ skipper Jarome Iginla in for a breakaway backhand deke that put the outcome on ice, 3-1, 12:39 into the third period.

Ray Emery’s 15 stops over a dominating Calgary second period actually kept the score from getting out of hand, again.

These long-standing road woes do not bode well for a quick Hawk resurgence. Their next six games will be lived out of a suitcase, too.

“That has nothing to do with it,’’ countered Toews. “We’re not looking at it like that. Whether we play at home or on the road ... the way we’ve been playing lately we don’t deserve to win. I don’t know what stats you’re looking at it, but it really doesn’t matter to us. We played solid early on, stuck to the little things we wanted to do — shorter shifts, smarter changes, more physical, keep our feet moving, all the things we talk about that shift-after-shift is going to make a difference for us. ”

In case you’re unaware, Chicago is 0-for-Alberta in four starts this season. Outscored 25-9.

“Playing a little more responsible is something we’ve got to build on,’’ said Quenneville. “There were some good steps, good things that happened, but playing catch-up is not easy and keeping the puck out of our net is going to be an emphasis going forward.’’

Given the startling drop-off lately, there’s growing conjecture that Chicago general manager Stan Bowman may, if the problems linger, be compelled to make a move or two before the trade deadline in order to provide a spark.

“I’m comfortable with our team,’’ countered Quenneville. “Everybody has some hurdles. We’ve obviously had a tough month. But we’re looking for some better results. We haven’t really had a challenge like this all year and it’s up to us to get back and look at things positively and recapture how we felt earlier on in the year.”

That feeling must seem an eternity ago now. And the frustration level inside that Hawks’ room at the moment?

“Probably higher,’’ replied defenceman Steve Montador, “than I’m willing to tell you.’’

gjohnson@calgaryherald.com