The Chicago Blackhawks have not had the kind of regular season that they did last year.
That's perfectly understandable. In the truncated 2013 season, the Blackhawks started the year with complete focus. They wanted to recapture their position as the NHL's preeminent franchise after getting knocked out of the playoffs in the first round two years in a row.
They went 24 games before they lost a game in regulation time and they crowned that record-setting achievement by winning their second Stanley Cup in four years.
The Blackhawks did not have any Stanley Cup hangover this year, but they haven't been a regular-season juggernaut, either.
They have found themselves uprooted in the Central Division by the St. Louis Blues and they are in a battle with the Colorado Avalanche for second place—and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Blackhawks have a stellar roster and there is no reason to think that they are not capable of going on another long run in the postseason. They have just been stuck in the "dog days" of the hockey season.
While that term is most ofte ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
Will Chicago Blackhawks Find Championship Form Following ‘Dog Days’ Slump?
March 20th, 2014 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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