On the surface, the Chicago Blackhawks appear to be rolling. After dropping their first two contests, they're currently 6-1-2 and in fourth place in the Western Conference. However, they've yet to play a full 60-minute contest, instead scraping by on 55 strong minutes of play.
If you believe that championship teams don't yield third-period leads—and you should—then this is a concerning early-season trend.
According to NHL.com, the 'Hawks are tied for fifth in fewest goals allowed per game, giving up a hair more than two on average. All told, they've allowed 15 goals during regulation.
You don't have to be a Sabermetrics expert to see a negative here: Chicago has allowed more goals in the third period (10) than it has in the first and second periods combined.
If the 'Hawks were benching the likes of Duncan Keith and resting their top six because of five-goal leads, that'd be one thing.
The Blackhawks have blown two-goals leads in three of their nine games so far this season, but the alarms haven't gone off yet because they've managed to secure two of those contests in t ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Franklin Steele
Why Have Chicago Blackhawks Failed to Protect Leads in 2013-14 Season?
October 24th, 2013 by Franklin Steele Leave a reply »
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