One year ago at this time, the Blackhawks were tied with the San Jose Sharks for the top spot in the Western Conference with 93 points.
Fast-forward one year, and a lot has happened. Many players have come and gone, one new coach has come aboard and that whole Stanley Cup "thing" happened.
The Blackhawks' dominance of last season has come back in flashes this year. The five- and six-game winning streaks have been downgraded to two- or three-game spurts.
But despite their inability to play at the top level of last season, the Blackhawks have risen from the ashes of the Western Conference basement and are now in the hunt.
Only three teams currently are ahead of them in the conference standings. However, despite being at the fourth seed, which would give home-ice advantage in the first round, the Blackhawks are only two points away from the other side of the fence in being out of the playoffs.
Corey Crawford's play has been one of the key reasons that the Blackhawks have not faded into hockey oblivion, and he should get some award consideration if he can lead the Blackhawks to the playoffs.
The four teams on the B ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Joe Favia
Chicago Blackhawks: Do They Have Enough To Hold Off the Rest of the West?
March 10th, 2011 by Joe Favia Leave a reply »
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