The Nashville Predators have clinched, but there’s still the question of playoff seeding. The Chicago Blackhawks are out of the playoffs picture, but that doesn’t mean the players themselves won’t be trying.
Of course, trying doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s been a challenging season in Chicago, where almost nothing has really gone right. They’ve struggled offensively and defensively; they’ve had a hard time scoring and a hard time not getting scored on; their power play and penalty kill are both below par (though the penalty kill itself isn’t that bad, their goaltending luck has carried over).
Has anything gone right for the Blackhawks this season? Absolutely–Connor Bedard has been great, despite missing a good chunk of time with a fractured jaw. He’s going to be a joy to watch for Chicago fans for a good long time, and this season he’s put up a team-leading 59 points, 22 goals, and 37 assists. The Blackhawks’ other 50-point player, Philipp Kurashev, has racked up 35 assists.
Jason Dickinson, in addition to having scored 21 goals, has been by far one of the team’s best defensive players–a really valuable skill, for a team that’s struggled so much with defense. Joey Anderson and Colin Blackwell have also been defensive standouts, while in terms of offensive play-driving… Well, Taylor Hall (knee surgery) was a big loss for the team.
Petr Mrázek has been solid enough in net, posting a .906 on the season despite the defense, while backup Arvid Söderblom has had a much rougher season. The team has allowed a lot of goals, and it would be nice to see Filip Forsberg–or any of the Preds–add to the number against tonight.
The game airs at 7:30 PM Central on Bally Sports South and 102.5 The Game.
Statistics from naturalstattrick.com. Additional background from hockeyviz.com.