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The Weekly Macklin Celebrini Watch: Chicago Blackhawks Fall Further Behind the San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are five points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks in the race to the bottom.

By Todd Welter |
/ John Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Chicago Blackhawks came back from a 4-0 deficit to the San Jose Sharks to win 5-4 in overtime. The comeback victory was impressive after being down by that much, but it also means the Sharks increased their lead in the Tankathon.com/NHL standings by five points.

The Sharks have lost seven straight games and only have picked up one point in the standings thanks to last night's matchup going into overtime. The Sharks are 1-6-1 since the March 8th NHL trade deadline. San Jose had a fire sale, and it is showing in the standings.

The Blackhawks meanwhile have gone 5-5 over their past 10 games to climb out of dead last in the NHL. Two of those wins came over the Sharks. So they are winning the head-to-head matchups in the Macklin Celebrini Bowl, but it also means losing ground in having the best odds to take the prize of the NHL Draft this year.

So you can officially say the Blackhawks are not the worst team in the NHL, they are just No. 31.

That means the Hawks have just a 13.5% chance of winning the NHL Draft Lottery. The Blackhawks still have 11 games to go while the Sharks have 12.

Six of the Hawks' final 11 games are on the road with a three-game road game slate starting this week. The Hawks have won just two road games since early November. Seven of those remaining games come against teams in the playoff chase.

There is a chance the Blackhawks could regain the top spot in the Tankathon standings. The Blackhawks are going to need the best possible odds if they hope to win the NHL Draft Lottery for the second consecutive year.

The Sharks play just six games against playoff contenders, so they are approaching a soft spot in their schedule.

They have been awful since the trade deadline so it might be hard for the Blackhawks to retake the top spot. Plus, the Hawks have been doing a good job of beating fellow bad teams at home.

They have the Calgary Flames at home on Tuesday. They then go to Ottawa on Thursday and the Senators have lost three of their last four games. That is two chances to pick up four points in the standings. The Hawks wrap up the week on Saturday at Philadelphia which is a good opportunity to get a loss.

The Sharks host Dallas on Tuesday night. The Stars are second in the Central Division and are 21-9-5 on the road. San Jose then goes on the road to face the Minnesota Wild on Thursday and then the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

The Sharks are just as bad on the road as the Blackhawks as both have won just six road games. Although, the Sharks have four overtime losses on the road to the Hawks one.

Still, it is liking this is another week where the Blackhawks fall further away from the Sharks in the NHL Draft Lottery standings.

How did Macklin Celebrini do last week?

The prize of whoever wins the NHL Draft Lottery is the Boston University freshman. He had three assists for the Terriers in their 4-1 victory over Maine on Friday night in the Hockey East Conference Tournament semifinals. Getting three points is nice, but going without a goal snapped a five-game goal streak.

He did pick up a goal on Saturday in Boston University's 6-2 loss to Boston College in the Hockey East Conference Championship Game.

What did Chicago Blackhawks prospect Ryan Greene do for Boston University last week?

He had two goals on Friday with one coming from an assist by Macklin.

The sophomore center had two assists on Saturday. Greene will not be joining the Blackhawks any time soon if he decides to make the jump to the NHL.

The Terriers are a shoo-in to make the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament. The selection show is tonight, and regional play starts on March 28th. Boston U has as good an opportunity to make a run to St. Paul where the Frozen Four will be held on April 11th.

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