Chicago Blackhawks Playoff Heartbeat Still Has A Pulse

The Chicago Blackhawks finally won a game on Saturday night, but with their playoff hopes at or around 1 percent should we cheer for wins or cheer for losses with there still being a pulse to the playoff chase right now. 

There was a spirited argument with all of our Blackhawk Up writers this afternoon about the word tank which has been out there since the Blackhawks went into a tailspin and lost 8 straight games.  If you think the Blackhawks are terrible just think that they have scored first in 11 out of their last 13 games yet have only won 3 of them.  Normally them scoring first is a win not a loss.

Of course after the game last night  we put out there on Twitter that the Hawks are going 22-0-0 to finish the season and make the playoffs.  They have 21 games left, and this core has put together a 21-0-3 stretch once before.  Of course on February 17th this looks like we are all doing a lot of drugs to think that the Blackhawks could go on one of these kind of stretches and make the playoffs.

For it to happen they would need not only Corey Crawford to return quickly to the ice, but they would need him to play like the Vezina Trophy Candidate he was when he left the ice injured earlier in the year for the rest of the season. Unfortunately there is no signs pointing to a return to the ice anytime soon.

They would need the defense to play like it did Saturday night, which was a simple game with good gap control.  They don’t need to be flying into the offensive end and giving up endless odd man breaks.

Lastly they need Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to play like they did Saturday night picking up multiple points and playing liked two superstars that make 10.5 million a year. Put the team on your backs and show them what true leadership is for 21 more games!  This next stat just shows that the Hawks are almost unbeatable when the Toews/Kane combo is playing at a high level.

Is it look impossible for the Hawks to make the playoffs this year? of course, but one thing I know for sure in the past 10 seasons is when you think they are down and out it’s when they surprise you the most.  Will it happen this year? I don’t know, but the fat lady isn’t singing quite yet so let’s stop talking about tanking until she sings!

Next: 5 Thoughts From Blackhawks 7-1 Win

Let’s Go Hawks!