Three More Reasons to Watch the Blackhawks Close the Season

The season is just about wrapped up, and with that people are paying less attention to the Chicago Blackhawks because they’re essentially out of the playoff picture. But what if I told you there are still reasons to watch this team? Let’s get into that.

One reason you should keep the Hawks games on your TV is simple, the Blackhawks have shown that on any given night, their offense can explode and instantly turn the late-season matchup into a must-see battle. The Blackhawks still have trouble defending, but they are showing some improvement there. Don’t let that take away from your enjoyment of seeing them suddenly erupt and scoring multiple goals in a few short minutes.

A second reason to keep tuning in is to watch star forward Alex DeBrincat punishing teams by piling on goals. He probably won’t win the Richard this year, Auston Matthews is on another planet, but to only be five goals back of Connor McDavid (who’s in second with 28 tucks) is a fantastic season. DeBrincat missed some time on the COVID list too, he could easily have a few more goals than what his final tally will show.

The biggest reason to keep watching the games though? Patrick Kane’s continued excellence. Will, he hit the 20-goal mark for the 14th consecutive year? If he does, he moves past Wayne Gretzky and into the company of Maurice Richard and Stan Mikita.

He’d further cement his place in record books by having the 10th-longest 20-goal season streak in the history of the NHL, the 2nd longest streak amongst active players (Alex Ovechkin leads with 16 seasons currently).

Beyond that stat though, Kane is still having a great season. He’s flirting with 60pts with eight games to go, has a +2 xGdiff, and has taken on a vital leadership role in a season that the team lost both its captain and vocal leaders in Toews and Seabrook.

In all, despite this season looking like a lost cause, there’s still room to keep watching their contests. The defense is showing small improvements and the offense is capable of firing on all cylinders. With players like DeBrincat and Kane on the team, tuning in every night is still worth the time to watch. There are plenty more reasons to tune in as well, these are just the biggest ones to jump out at you.