Can the Chicago Blackhawks Replicate 2011-12 Kings Success?

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A seven-game winning streak has brought the Chicago Blackhawks within four points of a wild card spot. This resurgence created comparisons to the 2011-12 Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings who were an 8th seed with 95 points. How did the Kings achieve this success and can the Blackhawks replicate it?

Talk of the Chicago Blackhawks being a playoff team would’ve been laughable a month ago, however here we are. Making the playoffs will be a challenge in and of itself, but making a run through them will be another story. Here’s how they could recreate the Los Angeles Kings‘ run.

Goaltending

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Jonathan Quick put up career numbers in Los Angeles in 2011-12. He led the league in regular season shutouts with 10, including 3 in the playoffs. Quick’s 1.95 goals against average (GAA) and .925 save percentage (SV%) carried the Kings into playoff contention.

He won the Conn Smyth as the playoff MVP but somehow lost the Vezina to Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers despite having a lower GAA and SV%.

The King’s scored the second fewest goals that season. In 82 games, they only scored 194 goals, which is a 2.66 goals per game average. Quick needed to be elite to ensure his club had a deep run.

Of course, everyone continues to speculate what this year’s squad would look like with a healthy Corey Crawford. Even still, Crawford hasn’t posted statistics like that since the record breaking 2012-13 season. During that Cup run, Crawford recorded a .932 SV% and 1.84 GAA.

Collin Delia and Cam Ward are holding down the fort until Crawford makes his return. In 12 appearances in a Blackhawks sweater Delia has a .923 SV% and 2.98 GAA. Ward has posted an .891 SV% and 3.75 GAA in his first year in Chicago.

Imagine what a healthy Corey Crawford would mean to this team only 2 points out of a playoff spot.

Not sayin’, but I’m just sayin’
— Blackhawk Up (@Blackhawk_Up) February 9, 2019

Defense

While the 2011-12 Kings certainly weren’t offensive juggernauts, they found ways to keep the puck away from their net. The highest scorer on that championship team was Anze Kopitar, and he only posted 25 goals. Patrick Kane is on pace to double that this year.

The Blackhawks need to keep pucks out of their net and that responsibility goes beyond Ward, Delia or Crawford.

The aforementioned Kings ended the 2011-12 season with the 4th best penalty kill in the league. The Chicago Blackhawks currently have the league’s worst at 73.6%.

Of the top 10 scoring teams in the NHL, the Blackhawks are the only team not currently in playoff contention.

Chicago is scoring goals at an incredible rate. The chemistry between Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat is evident with every shift and Kane is making his case for the Hart trophy while Jonathan Toews is having the resurgence the organization needed him to have.

That said, the Blackhawks still find themselves with massive defensive woes.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 10: Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates after scoring a goal in the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center on February 10, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Red Wings 5-2. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Changes in Playoff Structure

The Kings made the playoffs under a very different playoff picture. Under the old guidelines, teams entered Stanley Cup contention based on conference standings, rather than the current divisional-based format.

From 1998-99 through 2014, the league had 2 conferences with 3 divisions apiece. The first place teams from each division were the top 3 seeds. The 4th-8th seeds were comprised of the top 5 point earners from each conference.

The changes in the playoff format and the divisional realignment in 2014 gave us the current wild card system. These changes brought smaller divisions and the introduction of the wild card. The top team in each division plus 2 wild card teams per conference made the playoffs.

The Kings ended the 2011-12 regular season with 95 points. If the current divisional system was used then, the King’s wouldn’t have made the playoffs.

The Pacific division accrued the second-fewest points at the end of the season behind the Southeast. A 95 point finish put the Kings in 3rd in their division. For comparison, the Chicago Blackhawks ended that year with 101 points and were fourth in the Central; the only division that occupied a team that couldn’t crack 70 points (Columbus Blue Jackets).

The competition within the division makes the hunt more difficult. As a result, the Chicago Blackhawks need to leap-frog more teams within their own division to get in.

Recovering Lost Ground

After the All-Star break, the Blackhawks started February with 47 points. By comparison, the King’s kicked off February after the 2012 break with 60.

Even though the Kings were the 8th seed, the Chicago Blackhawks are further behind than Los Angeles was. In an era where points matter more than they ever did, the Blackhawks have a much different battle ahead of them.

What the Kings first ever cup victory tells us is the NHL has changed in many ways over a few short years. The league is faster and teams are structured to generate more offense. The Los Angeles championship is the signal of a dying era.

A defense heavy, low scoring hockey team now feels like an ancient relic.

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Next. Kahun Could Break NHL Penalty Record. dark

The trade deadline is February 25th. The Blackhawks are 4 points out of playoff contention with roughly 2 months left of regular season hockey ahead of them. If Chicago can tighten up defensively and shore up the penalty kill, they could be playing hockey into the spring.

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Goaltending

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Defense

Changes in Playoff Structure

Recovering Lost Ground

Schedule