Chicago Blackhawks Morning Links- Streaky

Good morning Chicago Blackhawks fans! The question I have during this bye week is will the Chicago Blackhawks have a streak in them during the 2nd half that lands them solidly in the playoffs or will they be just a bubble team all year long. 

Except for the 2010-2011 season, there really hasn’t been much worry about the Chicago Blackhawks making the playoffs during this current Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane era.  The Hawks usually get around 105 points and are right in the middle of the playoff hunt for the Stanley Cup.

This year, the only thing they have been able to do is be inconsistent on a game by game basis. They can come out and look like world beaters and score 10 goals, or they can get shut out by a crappy Detroit Red Wings team on their home ice.

In the 6 seasons I’ve wrote for Blackhawk Up, I’ve never watched a team that you really had no clue what team was showing up on a nightly basis.

The cop out is to say it’s because of all the youth on the team. Granted Stan Bowman has flipped the roster to a younger model. The thing is for me, the Blackhawks superstars aren’t playing like superstars this season.  Even Patrick Kane has been widely inconsistent this season. If you don’t believe me look at his last week before the break. He picks up a career high 5 points vs Ottawa then goes pointless for three straight games.

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• Marc-Andre Fleury Carries the Blackhawks to a 4-2 Win vs Seattle
• Instant Reaction: Blackhawks top Kraken for first time in history

To me if the Hawks are going to get in the serious mix of the playoff chase their stars have to play like stars. If it’s Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat carrying the team, it will be game 82 before we find out if the Hawks make the playoffs.

Here are some morning links to start your Toewsday! 

If you missed it, here is very upset Joel Quenneville after Sunday’s game (Blackhawks)

Brent Seabrook is a huge value for the Chicago Blackhawks in many different ways (Sun-Times)

Thieves or stiffs, how to describe the 2017-2018 Blackhawks (Rosenbloom)

The Chicago Blackhawks penalty kill has been excellent as of late (Tribune)

Connor McDavid had a pretty wild 21st birthday party (TMZ)

Jaromir Jagr was placed on I.R. by the Calgary Flames (NHL)

Victor Hedman is out 3-6 weeks with an injury that looked much worse (USA)

Everyone seems to be worried about the standings (Blackout Dallas)

What do the Avalanche need to do to keep their winning ways rolling (Mile High sticking)

Next: Do The Hawks Have An Identity Crisis

Andrew Cogliano is almost in tears about his streak coming to an end (Pro Hockey Talk)