When the Chicago Blackhawks go to Detroit Friday night to take on the Red Wings, there may be a sigh of relief as they take the ice against their old rivals.
No, it's not because the Red Wings moved out of the Western Conference and they miss playing Detroit four or five times a season as they do with their other opponents from the Central Division.
It's because the Red Wings are now tied to the Eastern Conference, and the Blackhawks offense has performed much better against Eastern foes than it has against teams from the Western Conference.
Through their first 16 games, the Blackhawks have played eight games against opponents from each conference. They have struggled to put the puck in the net against teams from the West, as they are averaging 1.88 goals per game. On the other hand, the Blackhawks are putting the puck in the net 3.63 times per game against Eastern opponents.
If the Blackhawks were hitting the net at the same rate in all their games that they are against Eastern teams, they would be the third-highest scoring team in the league behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (3.86 GPG) and the Tampa Bay Li ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
Chicago Blackhawks Must Pick Up Scoring Pace Against Western Conference Foes
November 13th, 2014 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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