Checking In - Breaking Down the Blackhawks' Play Over a Month

CHICAGO, IL — I’m going to be absolutely real with you—I had no idea what to write about for the blog this week.

I’ve written about the Blackhawks being good, bad, and everything in between, I’ve written about Patrick Kane a couple times now (#Kane4Hart), and I’ve even written about the best goal celebrations from the Hawks this season.

The idea tank is running dry, my friends.

So, I thought we could throw it back to a post I made a while back about what the Hawks really needed to do to make the playoffs, and grade them on how well they're meeting all three of those items a couple of weeks later.

Let's just get right on into it, shall we?

1) With 27 games left, you have to go 18-9 to get to the 88-90-point range that would potentially get them into the playoffs.

So, the Hawks currently sit at 71 points through 70 games, and since the date of this article (February 8th), the Hawks have gone 9-6, which is not terrible, but also only gives them a buffer of three losses from here on out. And even then, it's not a guarantee. It's really not the best place for them to be in, but they could be in a worse spot, I suppose.

They've managed 18 points over those 15 games, which is over .500, but again, not sure that it's enough. They really haven't given themselves a buffer from here to the end of the season (12 games left)--they'll essentially have to go 9-3 the rest of the way, which isn't impossible, but definitely improbable. Even then, they'd have to bank on other teams losing a lot along the way.

2) Decide what they're doing at the deadline--they should stay quiet.

They sure did that--they made a couple of minor-league trades, but most of their trades have been done throughout the season (Dylan Strome, Brendan Perlini, Drake Caggiula, Slater Koekkoek). There was no need for them to be sellers--by the time the deadline rolled around, they were dangerously close to a playoff spot (whereas now, they currently sit 6 points out). And buying didn't really make any sense either, so I'm glad they stuck to their course and decided to play out the rest of the season with the current roster.

3) Keep the top two lines hot.

This one's been tricky, what with Caggiula out with a concussion and Coach Colliton blending the lines up lately. Patrick Kane's production seems to have tapered off ever so slightly, but he's still doing pretty damn well (he's still within the top three in points as I'm typing this), and both Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat have been on fire as well. For the first time in a long time, the Hawks have three players over 30 goals in one season, which is damn impressive if you ask me. I've liked Brandon Saad up with Toews again, and I don't mind Kane playing with Artem Anisimov. The bottom two lines seem to be dominating games now, if you look at the last three or four games--Perlini especially. Colliton seems to know what he's doing (even if he tested Patrick Kane on the third line a couple games ago), so I think it's fair to say that while the top two lines may not be doing all of the producing, there's at least some balance through the lineup, and I'd call that a win.

4) Keep the goalies hot.

I think with the return of Corey Crawford, the Hawks have looked more confident. It certainly helps, watching him put on a total clinic against Dallas, Arizona, and Toronto. Cam Ward's been injured, but he's set to return to the lineup any day now (I'd guess maybe tomorrow against Montreal?), and Collin Delia's been doing the best he can for a rookie goaltender. I think it'll be interesting to see what the Hawks do down the line--they haven't really carried three goalies yet, since Delia was only called up because Ward was injured. I'm not sure if they'd want to carry three goalies, but I don't think it'd be a bad option if they decide to go that route.

5) Finally, have fun.

I think on their current 4-game win streak, they're definitely having fun, but I think all of them realize the gravity of each win. It's clear guys like Perlini, who haven't really been noticeable on the ice all season but have suddenly been scoring are having fun, but like I said, I think it'll start to get tough if they lose a handful here or there. They're in a tight race, and while I know players always say that they don't look at the standings, these guys are staring it right in the face, whether they want to or not. They've got some big games coming up, and if they want any shot at the playoffs, they need to come up big and put on a nearly perfect show down the road.

So, I'd say they're sitting at either three or four out of five, depending on the way you're looking at it. They aced the trade deadline, top lines and goalies, but I think the wins are a little lacking (though, they are technically on pace), and the fun is down a little in favor of taking this seriously. But, I think either could be argued for or against, so let me know what you think. Are the Blackhawks having fun? Are they doing okay points-wise? I would have personally liked to see a win against LA or San Jose, and I do think that it'll come close enough that those two games might break them when all is said and done.

But, as always, I'm with these guys until the bitter end.

Are you in?