Chicago Blackhawks: About as bad of a loss as you can have
The Chicago Blackhawks had a horrible loss to the Detroit Red Wings that might leave a mark when you look back at this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks had some circumstances that made last night a little bit more difficult than other nights. A travel issue caused them to get into Detroit later than expected. Then, it came out that Adam Boqvist would miss the game after leaving warmups early. It was a wrist injury that caused him to miss the game. All of this is less than ideal, but there are no excuses in the NHL.
It is even worse when you evaluate their opponent. The Detroit Red Wings were 15-48-5 with 35 standings points going into the game. They had a -119 goal differential going into the game and are being viewed as one of the worst teams in NHL history. It had been over two weeks since the last time the Red Wings won a game. The Blackhawks losing to them 2-1 is devastating, regardless of the unforeseen circumstances.
The Blackhawks had a chance to keep pace in terms of points below the playoff line. When this season is over, if they only miss the playoffs by a few points, this is going to be one of those games that you look back on as a missed opportunity. They have to win games against teams they are much better than in order to be a playoff team this year.
Another thing to look at was the special teams. That has been one of the stories all season long. Detroit was 1 for 2 on the power play while the Hawks went 0 for 3. The Red Wings have the second-worst penalty kill in the league and the Hawks couldn’t cash in on a single one. Going into next season, that has to be one of the biggest issues that are addressed.
light. Related Story. Blackhawks have a lot of home games in March
The Blackhawks are going from the worst team in the league . to the second-best based on standings points. It is a tough turnaround but the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues will be at the United Center to take on the Blackhawks. They are capable of beating the Blues but they are going to need to create a lot more energy than they did against the Red Wings. The Blues do everything right when they are on their game so they are going to need to be much better.