Blackhawks losing continues as they fall in this week's power rankings

In this week’s power rankings, both wild-card races have been heating up with just two weeks to go in the regular season. These power rankings are determined mainly by a team's win-loss record, but also by their recent performance, injuries, and the strength of the week's schedule. For example, if teams have similar records or point totals, they will receive a higher ranking based on who they played and the margins of victory. Teams will also be ranked higher or lower depending on how they have played over their last 10 games.

The Past Week (0-3-1)

The Chicago Blackhawks concluded their last East Coast road trip of the season over the past week, and it proved to be a difficult slate of games. Chicago started out in Philadelphia, then traveled to New York the next night to face the Rangers. They were outscored 2-11 in those games, with Bedard and Lardis scoring a lone goal in each game.

Two days later, they traveled to New Jersey and again lost by giving up five goals. The lone bright spot came as Frank Nazar had the first multi-goal game of his career. In these three games, the Blackhawks allowed 39 or more shots. They finally returned home to face the Jets for the final time of the season. The team showed some spirit, forcing overtime but ultimately falling to their 14th overtime/shootout loss of the season. Tyler Bertuzzi scored two goals and made a new career high with his 31st of the season.

Losing Does Not Equal Accountability

There needs to be accountability given to the front office. If the current standings hold steady over these last two weeks of the season, then this will be the fourth straight year of the Blackhawks finishing in the bottom five. The fanbase has repeatedly been urged to remain patient, with assurances that young talent would eventually emerge. Sitting Sacha Boisvert against the Jets in favor of Teravainen and Burakovsky, who have underperformed all season, makes it increasingly difficult to understand the direction this front office wants the team to take.

Power Rankings

32 - Vancouver Canucks (21-44-8) (-)
31 - Chicago Blackhawks (27-34-14) (-1)
30 - Calgary Flames (31-35-8) (-1)
29 - New York Rangers (31-35-9) (+2)
28 - Florida Panthers (36-35-3) (-5)
27 - St. Louis Blues (31-31-11) (-1)
26 - Seattle Kraken (32-30-11) (+1)
25 - San Jose Sharks (34-31-7) (+3)
24 - Los Angeles Kings (29-26-18) (-2)
23 - Toronto Maple Leafs (32-30-13) (+1)
22 - Winnipeg Jets (32-30-12) (+3)
21 - Nashville Predators (34-31-9) (-2)
20 - New Jersey Devils (38-34-2) (+1)
19 - Vegas Golden Knights (33-26-16) (+1)
18 - Utah Mammoth (38-30-6) (-1)
17 - Detroit Red Wings (39-27-8) (-3)

16 - Washington Capitals (38-28-9) (+2)
15 - Ottawa Senators (38-26-10) (-6)
14 - Edmonton Oilers (38-28-9) (+2)
13 - Philadelphia Flyers (37-25-12) (+2)
12 - Columbus Blue Jackets (38-25-12) (-4)
11 - Anaheim Ducks (41-28-5) (+1)
10 - New York Islanders (42-29-5) (+3)
9 - Pittsburgh Penguins (38-21-16) (+2)
8 - Minnesota Wild (41-21-12) (-1)
7 - Boston Bruins (43-24-8) (+3)
6 - Tampa Bay Lightning (46-22-6) (-1)
5 - Dallas Stars (44-19-12) (-3)
4 - Montreal Canadiens (43-21-10) (+2)
3 - Carolina Hurricanes (47-21-6) (+1)
2 - Buffalo Sabres (46-21-8) (+1)
1 - Colorado Avalanche (49-14-10) (-)

Wild Card Races Heating Up

The Boston Bruins' recent hot stretch has put them in a great position to reach the playoffs. They are sitting six points ahead of the second wild card position. The Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Senators, Flyers, and Capitals are all separated by only three points as we head into the final stretch of the season. Detroit, which has been in a playoff position for most of the season, is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the ninth straight season.

The Western Conference finds itself in a very similar situation, as the Utah Mammoth holds the top wild-card seed by five points. The Predators, Kings, Jets, Sharks, Kraken, and Blues are only separated by four points. With the Pacific teams in a "pillow fight", the Jets and Blues have very quietly had a good month to put themselves back into the race. I predict that the Senators and Jets will both surge to claim the final wild card positions.

Looking Ahead

The Blackhawks will head out west for their final road trip of the season. They have a great opportunity to play spoiler, as they will face teams competing for a playoff position. They begin in Edmonton (4/2), then travel to Seattle (4/4) and San Jose (4/6). Once again, the Blackhawks would do themselves a favor by ending the year strong to build some momentum with their youngsters for next season.