3 big-time statistics the Blackhawks have dominated so far in 2024-25

It might sound laughable to some, but the Chicago Blackhawks have dominated in a few statistics in 2024-25. Maybe Anders Sorensen has something to do with the recent uptick in production, but if you ask me, it’s too small of a sample size. 

Nope, some of this you can attribute to what is now the ill-fated Luke Richardson era. And it points to one fact: The Hawks may not be as bad as their points total implies. That means the following stat lines in which they have shown some dominance won’t get them into the playoffs. 

But it also means there has been improvement, even when the on-ice product doesn’t look like it’s gotten better one iota before they parted ways with Richardson. Anyway, enough of the intro. Let’s dive into some real numbers that show us where the Blackhawks are thriving. 

The Blackhawks have been better-than-advertised on the power play

While I’ll admit the Hawks haven’t been outstanding on the power play, it’s still better than the league average. And there are playoff-caliber teams, like the Boston Bruins, that can’t say the same. Or, at least, that’s the case at the moment. 

So, how good has the Hawks man advantage been? At a success rate of 22.09, heading into Friday’s slate of games, that mark puts them 13th in the league. Yeah, it can vary throughout the next week until the Christmas break. But still, you wouldn’t think this team is at the top half of the league in such a big statistic. 

Goaltending has been the team’s overall strength 

The Blackhawks have the eighth-most shots against them in hockey and 979 total. Divide that by 33 games, and you get 29.6 per game. Not an awful number, but still, it’s one of the worst in the league. 

Still, Chicago ranks 15th in save percentage, which isn’t bad. That number is slightly above the average, which is 0.894. At 5-on-5, the Hawks have a solid 0.916 save percentage. While this is slightly below average, considering how many shots on goal they’re allowing, plus the surprising performances from Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom, I see it as more of an accomplishment. 

Few teams want to deal with the Blackhawks penalty kill

Just as the power play had been one of the team’s strengths so far, so has the penalty kill. Chicago’s PK unit, believe it or not, has succeeded 85.42 percent of the time. 

When I was researching this piece, I had an inkling it could’ve been the best mark in hockey. While I was wrong, the Hawks didn’t disappoint me too much, as it put them at No. 3 in the league behind only the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers. 

As irony would have it, the Preds are the only team in the league the Hawks have more points than heading into Friday.