The Chicago Blackhawks have been the NHL's best team in the regular season.
They have not clinched the President's Trophy yet because the Pittsburgh Penguins have been nearly as good. Still, with five days to go in the regular season, it seems that the Blackhawks will come away with the league's best regular-season record.
After playing the first 24 games before losing a regular-season game in regulation, the Blackhawks have played solid hockey in the second half of the season. While they have not come close to the scintillating record they put up in the first half of the year, there have been few signs of weakness.
However, as good as the Blackhawks have been, they do appear to have one significant weakness: They do not excel at the physical aspects of the game.
When it comes to hitting the opponents and setting a tone with body checking, the Blackhawks are less likely to do this than any other team in the league. The Blackhawks have been credited with a league-low 779 hits. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a league-high 1,518 hits. They lead the second-place Los Angeles Kings by 140 hits.
The Blackha ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
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April 23rd, 2013 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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