Blackhawks remain elite in one category despite seven-game losing streak

The Blackhawks numbers have been laughable throughout this seven-game losing streak in which they’ve tallied just one point. At 0-6-1 and once again eliminated from playoff contention, most fans in the Windy City have associated this team with their latest headache and occasional migraines. 

Hey, I’ve seen more than my fair share of bad hockey and sports teams throughout my time as a sports fan, but few have become as hopeless as the Hawks. Not only are they 0-6-1, but opponents have outscored them 29-10 following their 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. 

Yeah, 29-10, or better yet, 4.14 to 1.42 per game, if you want the average in which opponents have outscored them. The Hawks have also lost by two or more goals in each contest since their overtime loss to the Nashville Predators on March 8th, and they’ve been incapable of notching more than two goals throughout these last seven games. 

The Blackhawks have been worse than you think in most categories

If you ask me what the problem is, it’s that this team doesn’t care that they have a little over a dozen games left and are already looking toward their summer vacation. Because really, why bother? They aren’t going anywhere, they haven’t gone anywhere in years, and they probably aren’t going anywhere next year. 

Now, the logical part says that the Hawks should at least strive to keep playing for respect, because ending the season on a high note creates momentum heading into 2025-26, right? Yeah, maybe for a while, but like I said, 2026-27 at the absolute earliest is when you’ll see this team in contention if they care enough to get back on track for this final month. 

Furthermore, even if this team’s been outright abysmal in most categories, there’s still one in which they’re more than just excelling. In fact, you can even go as far as to say the Hawks have been elite in a specific category, and it’s at least something they can be proud of when looking back on this long season. 

The Blackhawks penalty-kill remains one of the NHL’s best

Just how good is the Blackhawks penalty kill unit? Well, let’s look at how good it’s been throughout this 0-6-1 losing streak. Following their three-goal loss to the St. Louis Blues, Chicago has an 87.5 PK percentage, having allowed just two goals on 16 opportunities. 

No, it’s not much, but it should give fans something to cheer for despite how horrible this season and current losing streak has gone. Heading into Saturday’s contest, the Hawks had an 81.35 PK percentage, having allowed just 36 goals on 193 opportunities. 

That number is nearly three percent better than the NHL average, and it ranks 11th overall in the league. So, while the Blackhawks have been next to hopeless in so many parts of their game this season, if there’s one category they continue to excel regardless of the circumstances, it’s their penalty kill. Now, if they can just figure out the rest of their game.