Blackhawks have suffered two shutouts in nine games, and history isn't encouraging

The Chicago Blackhawks have been shut out twice in the early stages of the 2026-27 season, first against the Utah Mammoth (6-0) in their second game and most recently by the Dallas Stars (4-0) in their ninth contest.

This year marks the second time in the past four seasons the club was shut out twice before hitting 10 games, with the most recent one occurring during Connor Bedard’s rookie campaign in 2023-24. 

That year, Chicago failed to score in games five and seven of its schedule. Interestingly, in the year leading up to the 2023 Draft Lottery, when they landed Bedard, the Blackhawks failed to score in three of their first 15 games, leading to the NHL’s third-worst record, while ranking dead last in goals for that season.

Despite collecting zeros on the scoreboard this year, Chicago has scored 21 goals, which ranks 21st in the league. However, these two shutouts are quietly developing into a trend, one that bucks the averages they’ve experienced in the salary cap era, dating back to 2005-06. 

Opponents usually shut out the Blackhawks later into the season

According to research tracking when the Blackhawks suffered their first and second shutouts of each season, those defeats have occurred, on average, in games 18 and 28, respectively. Before Patrick Kane arrived for the 2007-08 season, the Blackhawks didn’t get shut out until games 39 and 53 of the 2005-06 season, but then suffered through a rough start in 2006-07.

That year, leading up to the Draft Lottery, Chicago got shut out in three consecutive games, nine, 10, and 11. Yet, somehow, the team managed to recover to finish with the NHL’s fifth-worst record, while ranking second-to-last in goals scored. If the club could bounce back from that stretch, there’s hope for the 2026-27 team to avoid a bottom-third finish again.

Interestingly, in Kane’s first game on Oct. 4, 2007, the Minnesota Wild shut out the Blackhawks. It was the only time in the past 20 seasons the club failed to score in its first game. The closest Chicago came to being shut out so early in the season came in Kane’s last season with the Blackhawks (2022-23) before his blockbuster trade on Feb. 28, 2023.

In only their second game, the Vegas Golden Knights collected a 1-0 shutout, while the Blackhawks would be shut out in their 12th and 15th contests a month later. 

Some Blackhawks teams went months without being shut out

During the 2012-13 season, when Chicago would go on to win its second Stanley Cup in four seasons, the club didn’t experience a single shutout during the regular season. However, in the playoffs, opponents slowed them down for two shutouts, but in the end they still hoisted the Stanley Cup. During their title defense in 2013-14, Chicago didn’t get shut out until game 60 and again in game 72. 

Fast forward seven seasons, during the shortened 2020-21 season, the Blackhawks were shut out for a single game, which came in game 39 against the Nashville Predators.

Finally, during Bedard’s sophomore campaign in 2024-25, Chicago went 65 games before being shut out, but got blanked again in game 78. As mentioned, their mini streak extended into last season, when the club went 22 games before being shut out for the first time. 

Overall, this is the third season in the salary cap era when the Blackhawks have experienced two shutouts before playing 10 games, and in the previous two times, they failed to make the playoffs.

Can this year’s team break through the proverbial glass ceiling and avoid the pitfalls of so many other rosters that suffered similar fates in the past? Or are these shutouts an ominous sign of what’s to come in the following months?

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