Apr 19, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) shoots the puck against Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) during overtime at the United Center. The Blackhawks beat the Predators 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks followed up their worst game of the season against the Vancouver Canucks by finishing up their collection of The Best In Everything titles for the regular season against the Edmonton Oilers last week. The Blackhawks have 75 points, and no team has a chance of beating that with only 2 games remaining. The rest of the Central Division ia still fleshing out their post season positions during these last few days.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues went 3-1-0 in their past four games against teams that won’t continue into the post season. In Phoenix, the Blues had a 1-0 lead until the last minute of the game when the Coyotes scored on a power play with an empty net of their own. Andy McDonald scored in the shootout to get the extra point for the Blues. Against Dallas, the Blues had a 2-0 lead going into the third and managed to hold on to win the game 2-1. For their last road game, the Blues played the first of two consecutive games against the Colorado Avalanche. Amid his comeback, goalie Brian Elliott was pulled after allowing 4 goals in 19 shots. Rookie backup Jake Allen let in one more before the game was over, and the Blues lost 5-3. In the rematch in St. Louis, the Blues started off their 3-game home finale with strong defense, limiting the Avs to 18 shots and piling on 34 of their own for the 3-1 win.

The Blues have a record of 27-17-2, with 56 points and a clinched playoff spot. They are holding tight to 6^th place in the Western Conference and have 2 more games to settle their place between 4^th and 7^th.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings are walking a tight rope with Columbus breathing down their necks to get into the playoffs. Last week, they went 2-1-1 on their final stretch before post season. In Calgary, Miikka Kiprusoff out-dueled Jimmy Howard by saving 26 of 28 shots with Howard only making 14 of 17 for a 3-2 Wings loss. Against the Canucks, Detroit again dominated in shots on goal with 34 while limiting the opponent to only 14, but lost 2-1 in a shootout. But stronger goaltending and special teams did the trick while hosting Phoenix. The Red Wings scored 3 power play goals and an empty netter at the end, and Howard made 34 saves to get the 4-0 win. The still-defending 2012 Stanley Cup Champions, LA Kings proved to be a challenge against the Wings who needed a win to jump from 9^th to 8^th in the West. The Kings scored first but Red Wings managed to tie it up before the period was over and added two more in the final frame for the 3-1 win and a spot in the playoffs – for now.

The Red Wings now have a record of 22-16-8, and 52 points. They have two more games to either be overcome by the Blue Jackets or claim the 7^th or 8^th seed for the post season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

There’s just no escaping the Columbus Blue Jackets these days as they have made a very strong push to put themselves in the running for the bottom two playoff openings. They toured California last week and began in Anaheim, chasing the Ducks in scoring until overtime when Fedor Tyutin redirected a shot past Viktor Fasth halfway through the extra period for the 3-2 win. Columbus couldn’t pull off the magic against the Kings, allowing LA to regain the lead about 90 seconds after Columbus tied it up at 1 in the final period. The 2-1 loss was their first in 7 games. In San Jose, the Blue Jackets led the way in scoring through the third period until the Sharks tied it up. It looked like it was heading to overtime until Ryan Johansen wristed one past Antti Niemi with a minute and a half left in the game to take the 4-3 win.

The Blue Jackets have put on a show to make it to the playoffs, but have been bumped to the 9^th spot in the West in a battle with the Red Wings with a 22-17-7 record and 51 points.

Nashville Predators

The Predators have had a tough wind down to the season with by losing 7 games in a row when they needed wins the most. Against the team with the best record in the NHL the Predators managed to get a point in an eventful game against the Blackhawks but lost 5-4 in overtime. They followed that up with their last home game of the season against the Calgary Flames. They were determined to win after such a letdown of a season and came back from every deficit to win 4-3, their first win in the last 8.

The Predators have only 2 more games before they’re put out of their misery with a 16-21-9 record and 41 points.

What is your prediction for the Blackhawks’ first matchup of the playoffs?

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Apr 14, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott (1) makes a save from a shot by Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) during the first period at the Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

With the Chicago Blackhawks just sealing their top spot in the Western Conference and already clinching the Central Division Champion title, the race for second place in the division is still very much up for grabs. The Blackhawks have an amazing record of 33-5-4, worth 70 points with 6 games remaining. The closest division competitor trails by 20 points. The race for the last two playoff spots is turning out to be a life and death throw down between three divisional opponents.

St. Louis

The St. Louis Blues hold on to the 7^th spot since making a strong playoff push in their last 10 games on the back of a resurging Brian Elliott but are 2-2-0 in their last 4. Elliott won his third consecutive shutout 2-0 in a tight defensive matchup against the Minnesota Wild who are also fighting to keep their place in the playoffs. The next night, rookie goaltender Jake Allen was in net as they faced the Columbus Blue Jackets who ended the Blues’ shutout streak and 6 game winning streak. Despite having 13 more shots on goal than the Jackets, the Blues lost 4-1.

Elliott put his personal shutout streak on the line against the Blackhawks in a Sunday matinee showdown. He lasted through the first period until Bryan Bickell shoved in a rebound, and Marian Hossa scored off the faceoff while shorthanded. The Blues could not get anything by Corey Crawford and were shut out themselves, 2-0. Newly acquired defenseman Jay Bouwmeester scored his first goal, and made it a big one, against the Vancouver Canucks. He tied up the game in the second period, 1-1, where it remained through the third period and overtime. The Blues took the 2-1 win in a shootout.

The Blues are in 7th place in the Western Conference with 50 points, just 3 points from the 9^th seed and 3 points behind 4^th seeded Los Angeles Kings. They have a record of 24-16-2 with 6 games remaining with hope to still gain home ice advantage for the first round.

Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings have fallen to the dreaded 9^th spot in the Western Conference going 1-0-2 in their last 3 games. Special teams was the name of the game against the San Jose Sharks with 3 of the 4 goals scored in regulation coming on the man advantage or while shorthanded. The Sharks scored less than 3 minutes in the game on a 2 on 1 breakaway while killing off a penalty, but the Wings managed to tie it up with an even strength goal and go ahead with a power play goal. The Sharks responded with a power play goal of their own and sent the game to a shootout, where the Sharks took the extra point.

Then in a revenge-minded game, the Red Wings looked to redeem themselves for the 7-1 beating they took against the Blackhawks on Easter Sunday. Although they had the 2-1 lead with nearly 3 minutes remaining in the game, Jonathan Toews managed to tie it and send it to overtime, then the shootout. The Red Wings lost in the 5^th round of a shootout as Brandon Saad beat Jimmy Howard and Crawford stopped Johan Franzen. After 2 straight shootout losses, Howard was ready for anything against the last ditched effort of the Nashville Predators to make it to the playoffs. Howard stopped everything he faced and got the 3-0 shutout victory.

The Red Wings are 20-16-7 with 47 points and hold a tentative 9^th place in the Western Conference. They have 5 games remaining to claim a position in the playoffs or else stay on the outside looking in.

Columbus

The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to turn it up in their race to make it into the playoffs, just passing the Red Wings for the final seed. They are 4-0-0 in their last 4 games, getting points in every way with one regulation, one shootout, and two overtime victories. St. Louis scored not even 90 seconds into the first period, but Columbus responded with 4 unanswered goals to win the game 4-1. Sergei Bobrovsky once again saved the day for his team by stopping 39 of 41 shots from the Minnesota Wild, plus both rounds of a shootout, to give his team the 3-2 win.

In a back and forth game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Blue Jackets scored with just 87 seconds remaining in regulation to require extra hockey. Nick Foglino scored with less than 30 seconds in overtime, winning the game 4-3. Their next matchup was against a slightly fallen Anaheim Ducks team. After falling behind on a powerplay goal, Columbus managed to tie it up twice and send the game to overtime for the third game in a row. Just over halfway through the extra period, defenseman Fedor Tyutin scored the game-winner for the Jackets’ 4^th consecutive victory.

The Blue Jackets just managed to grab the 8^th spot of the Western Conference with a record of 21-16-7 and 49 points. They have 4 more games to scrape up every point they can get to defend their place from surrounding teams who have more games in hand. This one will go down to the wire (but really, aren’t they all?).

Nashville

The Nashville Predators have fallen off hard since before the trade deadline, losing 11 in a row – the last 8 without a point. With only 18 shots on goal, the Dallas Stars beat the Predators and 5-2, although Nashville ended the scoring 12 minutes into the 3^rd period and could only hope to build on that throughout the game and in the ones following. With starting goalie Pekka Rinna back in net making 30 saves, the Predators still failed to get on the board and lost against Jimmy Howard and the Red Wings 3-0. Finally against the Vancouver Canucks the Predators managed to put 38 shots on goal, but Roberto Luongo made 36 saves while Rinne made 19 out of 24 for a 5-2 loss.

With the last loss, the Predators are out of the playoff picture for good at the 14^th spot in the Western Conference with a record of 15-21-8. They have 4 games remaining before they all get to take a vacation and mentally move on to next season.

With the Blues, Red Wings, and Blue Jackets all jostling for a playoff spot, how many Central Division teams do you think will manage to squeeze in before the 27^th?

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Mar 14, 2013; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) knocks the puck away from Columbus Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard (16) at Nationwide Arena. The Blackhawks won 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Although the Chicago Blackhawks have struggled a bit as of late, they are still in the top position in the Western Conference and aren’t giving their place in the Central Division a second thought, with a 25-4-3 record and 52 points. Other Central Division opponents are beginning to carve out a place for themselves for the playoffs and others still might be pushing to just make it in by the end of the season.

Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings are finally starting to look like themselves again as regular playoff contenders. They have won 5 of their last 6 games and beat one of the best teams in the NHL in back to back contests. Last week started with a loss but culminated to some impressive wins. After 3 days of rest, the Red Wings hosted the Minnesota Wild but could never grab the lead. They cut the lead in half twice (2-1 in the second period, 4-2 in the third), but lost the game 4-2 in their only home stand of the week.

Two days later, they faced the Anaheim Ducks for two straight games in Anaheim. In the first game, the Ducks took the lead with a goal over halfway through the first period but the Red Wings responded with two of their own before the period was over. Justin Abdelkader scored his second of three on the night early in the second period and chased Ducks goaltender Viktor Fasth from the net. In the third period, Abdelkader completed his first career hat trick to give the Red Wings a 5-1 win.

The next contest was much closer, but led by the Red Wings who took a 2-0 lead in the first period. The Ducks scored a power play goal in the second, but were unable to tie it up in the third, sealing the Red Wings second win over them 2-1. The Wings’ schedule didn’t get any better as they faced the Phoenix Coyotes the very next night in Phoenix. Slow and steady won this race for the Red Wings. After the Coyotes took a 2-1 lead in the first period, the Wings tightened up defensively and let special teams do the rest, scoring a power play goal in each of the final two periods and winning the game 3-2.

Detroit is 17-11-5, sits in 5th place in the Western Conference and 2nd in the Central Division with 39 points.

St. Louis

The St. Louis Blues are still a hot and cold team who struggled again this past week. They finished a 4 game home stand against the Vancouver Canucks which turned out to be the only blemish. The first period played pretty evenly while the second period belonged to the Canucks who jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The third period belonged to the Blues who started a great comeback with 2 goals of their own, but couldn’t finish it off and lost the game 3-2.

Three days of rest later, they were in Edmonton to take on the Oilers. The Blues scored early in the first period to take the lead and added two more in the third to shut out the home team 3-0. They have to be getting angry about the comeback losses, because the next night in Calgary was almost the same story as against the Canucks. After climbing out of a two goal deficit to tie the game, the Blues gave up a goal in the third and couldn’t come back from that, not even with 38 shots on goal.

Two nights later, the Oilers came to St. Louis for a rematch and returned the favor by shutting out the home team 3-0. Again, the Blues came out firing but could not put one of 43 shots past Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.

St. Louis has a record of 17-13-2 and has the 7th spot in the Western Conference and 3rd in the Central Division with 36 points.

Nashville

Another hot and cold team in the Central Division is the Nashville Predators who finished off a four game losing streak against the Columbus Blue Jackets – now their biggest Central Division opponent. Columbus took the lead in the second period at home and held on to it for the rest of the game. But the Predators mounted what had the possibility of being a miraculous comeback. Down 4-1 late in the third period, they scored two goals 48 seconds apart with less than two minutes to go. Now 4-3, they had about 1:15 left on the clock to tie it up, but couldn’t pull it off, losing the game 4-3.

The Predators got back on track with a nice string of wins at home, starting off against the Calgary Flames. It began as a back and forth game with the Flames taking the lead and the Predators tying it up until the second period where Nashville surged ahead, winning the game 5-3. Next was a rematch against the Blue Jackets in which the Predators roared out with 4 goals in the first period and allowing one for the visitors. The Predators didn’t need much more and won the game with a final score of 5-2. Then the Edmonton Oilers visited the music city in a pretty even mach up where each team had 26 shots on goal. The Predators just managed to edge the Oilers for a 3-2 win.

Nashville is now 14-13-6, sits in 9th place in the Western Conference and 4th in the Central Division with 34 points.

Columbus

The Columbus Blue Jackets broke their franchise record point streak with only one regulation loss the four games played last week. At home in their first game against the Nashville Predators, the Blue Jackets had an impressive 4-1 lead late in the third period and were able to hold on as the Predators charged back to make it a one goal win for the home team. Three days later, they finished the five game home stand against the Calgary Flames. After letting the struggling Flames team tie it up 1-1 early in the second period, the Blue Jackets took over, grabbing 3 goals in the second period and adding one more in the third for an emphatic 5-1 win.

Traveling to Nashville for a rematch against the Predators proved to be too much for their franchise record 12 game point streak, as they lost 5-2 in regulation for the first time since playing the Blackhawks in a 1-0 loss on February 24. They were quick to pick up the point streak once more against the Canucks in Vancouver three nights later in a game that went scoreless until the shootout. Sergei Bobrovsky made 34 saves in 65 minutes for the Blue Jackets plus 2 more in the shootout until Maxim Lapierre slipped one past him to give the Canucks the extra point.

Columbus is not too far out of a playoff spot with a record of 13-13-7, good enough for 11th in the Western Conference and 5th in the Central Division. With 33 points, just 2 points separate them from the 8th seed.

Based on the season so far, how many Central Division teams do you think will make it into the playoffs?

For more updates and conversation, follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up and friend us on Facebook at Blackhawk Up.

Mar 14, 2013; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) knocks the puck away from Columbus Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard (16) during a shootout attempt at Nationwide Arena. The Blackhawks won 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

With the Chicago Blackhawks at their usual spot waaaay atop the Central Division (and the Western Conference, and the League), the other four spots are really the only ones that are up for grabs. Second place seems the best any of them can hope for, seeing as the Blackhawks have a 17 point lead on the current second place slot. Here’s how the race for second place is going in the Central Division.

St. Louis

The St. Louis Blues are starting to pick up steam again after a couple of worrisome weeks with both offense and goaltending issues. They started a 6 game home stand last week against the San Jose Sharks in which the home team grabbed the lead in the first period and an empty netter at the end to seal a 4-2 win. Two nights later, the Phoenix Coyotes came for a visit and left with no goals and no points as rookie goalie Jake Allen recorded his first NHL shutout with a 3-0 win for the Blues. Then in a faceoff against the mighty Anaheim Ducks, the Blues tied up the game to 1 in the second period on a power play goal to end the scoring in regulation. St. Louis never gave the visiting team a chance to catch their breath in overtime as Chris Stewart, the man on fire for the Blues, scored just 45 seconds in to take the extra point.

The Blues have a 16-10-2 record good for 2nd place in the Central Division and 5^th in the Western Conference.

Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings did a quick 3 game tour of the Northwest Division in 6 days starting in Calgary. The game was tied 2-2 going into the third when the Red Wings gave up 3 goals in under 4.5 minutes to lose the game 5-2. Then in Edmonton, the visiting team dug themselves out of a two goal hole in the third period to tie it up and send the game to overtime where Pavel Datsyuk scored with 1:20 left in overtime to win it for the Wings. Next, they faced the Vancouver Canucks where the always-hated Alexandre Burrows scored the first and last goals of the game, but it was all the ones in between that counted the most. After giving up a goal 6 seconds into the game, the Red Wings scored 5 goals that were only answered by Burrows’ third period goal leading to a 5-2 victory for the visitors.

The Red Wings are now14-10-5 and are just behind the Blues in 3^rd in the Central Division and 6^th in the West.

Nashville

The Nashville Predators began a 5 game road trip against the Dallas Stars with goaltender Pekka Rinne‘s 5th shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory. But that was not a sign of good things to come. Rinne allowed 4 goals on 12 shots against the Vancouver Canucks before he was pulled in the second period. Backup Chris Mason allowed 3 more goals for the Predators to lose 7-4. Rinne’s luck didn’t get much better the next night in Calgary as he allowed 2 goals in the first two shots he faced which sealed his fate for the night along with his team’s. Mason again let in 3 goals and an empty net goal at the end sealed a 6-3 loss. The Predators didn’t get much time off before they had to take on the speedy Edmonton Oilers and found themselves down 3-1 late in the third. After pulling Pekka Rinne (not due to poor goaltending or defense this time), the visiting team managed to score with 6 seconds left. But that wasn’t enough to force overtime, and the Predators lost 3-2. Their road trip-gone-awry ends on Tuesday in Columbus against an emerging Central Division foe.

The Predators have an 11-12-6 record and out of a playoff spot at 4^th in the Central Division and 12^th in the West.

Columbus

The Columbus Blue Jackets ended their 5 game winning streak with 2 losses. Shootout losses. And then a shootout win. Fresh off of their back to back wins over the Red Wings, Columbus gave the struggling Canucks a run for their money, taking the lead in the second but surrendering a goal before the period was over. The Jackets lost 2-1 in the shootout then prepared for their final meeting with the Blackhawks as Central Division opponents. The Blackhawks took the lead first, but the Blue Jackets were having none of that and scored less than a minute later. Tied at 1 at the end of 65 minutes, the game headed to another shootout where Ryan Johansen did a cute little imitation of Patrick Kane‘s slow-mo stick skills move at which we and Corey Crawford all chuckled. Kane then pulled off the original and buried it. Crawford did the rest as the Jackets lost another shootout 2-1. Against the Coyotes two nights later, both Sergei Bobrovsky and Mike Smith had shutouts with Bobrovsky’s 39 saves being the most impressive compared to Smith’s 23 saves. The Blue Jackets goaltender also stopped all three shots in the shootout while the Coyotes goalie gave up two, and Columbus won it 1-0.

The Blue Jackets have the exact same record as the Predators with an 11-12-6 record but trail them in the 5^th place in the Central Division and 13^th in the Western Conference.

The Blackhawks don’t currently have any real competition for the top spot in the Central Division this season; it’s more of a question of the President’s Trophy at this point. Beyond that, there seems to be a competition going for 2^nd place between the Blues and Red Wings and the 4^th spot between the Predators and Blue Jackets.

Since the top spot is pretty much spoken for, who do you think will end up second in the Central Division?

For more updates and conversation, follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up and friend us on Facebook at Blackhawk Up.

Feb 24, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andrew Shaw (65) and Columbus Blue Jackets center R.J. Umberger (18) fight for a faceoff during the third period at the United Center. Chicago won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks‘ lead in the Central Division is getting quite cozy, not only due to their impressive point streak, but also because of the inconsistency of their division rivals. Dominant wins, blowout losses, and last minute decisions were the story lines last week for the opponents.

The Detroit Red Wings fared the best last week with one loss, one overtime loss, and two wins. Their overtime loss came on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators. Starting goaltender Jimmy Howard left the game with blurry vision halfway through the first period due to rouge puck in practice. Pavel Datsyuk practiced some magic that night skating through four Predators and beating Pekka Rinne. But it still wasn’t enough, and the Wings lost 4-3 in overtime. Two days later, the Red Wings headed home to take on fellow divisional opponent the Columbus Blue Jackets. This was the game they lost in regulation, allowing the Jackets to score with just 24 seconds left on the clock. On Saturday, the Predators stopped by for a rematch which the Red Wings were more than willing to oblige with a 4-0 shutout and ending their 5 game losing streak. Detroit next hosted the Vancouver Canucks in an offensively charged game that the Canucks led 3-2 after the first period – but that would be the extent of their scoring. Detroit, however, thought it would be fun to pile on 6 more goals in the next two periods. So they did, and they sent the Canucks away with an 8-3 loss. The Red Wings have 21 points in 19 games, are 6th in the Western Conference, and 4th in the Central Division.

In three games last week, the St. Louis Blues went 1-1-1 against the San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blues hosted the struggling Sharks on Tuesday night in a close game, but lost 2-1 to end the Sharks’ 7 game losing streak. The following night, the Blues traveled to Colorado in another tight defensive match in which both goalies earned a shutout – until the Avalanche ended it with a goal over Jaroslav Halak‘s glove with 14 seconds left in overtime. After a few days off, the Blues headed back home where they had not won a game in the month of February. The only way to break that streak before hosting the Chicago Blackhawks next Thursday was to get a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. After giving up a second period goal and allowing Columbus to tie it up, the Blues pulled out a win with a goal in the third period to secure a much-needed moral victory. The Blues have 22 points in 18 games, are 5th in the Western Conference, and 3rd in the Central Division.

The Nashville Predators felt like they were finally getting back on track with their Captain and highest paid player finally scoring again. Shea Weber came up big against the Detroit Red Wings by scoring the game winner in overtime and sealed the 4-3 victory. But before they could get too excited, they lost the next two by scoring nothing. The Vancouver Canucks only needed one goal halfway through the third period to win that one in regulation. Next, the Predators traveled to Detroit for a rematch against the Red wings where they were shut out for the second game in a row, losing 4-0. Their scoreless streak would come to an end on Monday night against the Dallas Stars. After giving up 4 goals in the second period, the Predators were down 4-3 but managed to tie it up in the third and win it 28 seconds into overtime. The Predators have 23 points in 20 games, are 4th in the Western Conference, and 2nd in the Central Division.

The Columbus Blue Jackets had a tough and busy week, playing the top two teams in the league and two division opponents all on the road and scraping out one inspired win for all of their efforts. On Monday, the Blue Jackets faced the red hot Ducks in Anaheim, played a strong game, and were just barely edged out in a 3-2 loss. Next, they took on the Red Wings in Detroit where they lost star forward Artem Anisimov when he took an awkward tumble along the boards with Kyle Quincey. The Jackets found themselves in a bad spot without an important forward and in a 2 goal hole, but they came back to win the game 3-2 and finally added another win to their record. To continue their Central Division rounds, they visited St. Louis and played a hard-fought game but lost 2-1 to a team that desperately needed a win on home ice. Then in Chicago, the Blue Jackets took on their nemesis that owned them last season but are having a much tougher time this year. They fell to a strong Corey Crawford performance which shut out the Blue Jackets and allowed the lone Blackhawks goal to be the game winner. Columbus has 12 points in 19 games, are 15th in the Western Conference, and 5th in the Central Division.

The lead that the Blackhawks have on the rest of the Central Division is unbelievable right now. They are easily 12 points ahead of the second place Predators, 13 points ahead of the Blues, and 14 points ahead of the Red Wings. They’re also leading the Blue Jackets by 23 points, but who’s counting? With 26 games left to play, it would take a pretty spectacular fall for the Blackhawks to lose their fist place spot in the Central Division.

Do you think the Blackhawks will be able to keep the lead in the Central Division for the rest of the season?

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