With a talent-laden young roster and star players all over the ice, the Chicago Blackhawks are one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the NHL today. Patrick Kane is a lethal offensive force, and young captain Jonathan Toews is developing into one of the best two-way players around. The only real question mark for the Blackhawks is their goaltending, but so far, it hasn’t caused them too much trouble.
Offense: A Unlike the other top offensive teams in the league like San Jose and Washington, the Blackhawks don’t have a single 40 goal scorer on their roster. What they do have is five 20 goal scorers, and four more players with at least 10 goals this year. Marian Hossa has played at just under a point-per-game pace after missing the start of the season with an injury. Kane leads the team in all offensive categories, while defenseman Duncan Keith, who played so well for Team Canada at the Olympics, actually has more points than any other Chicago forward. What makes this team so dangerous is the fact that they rely on a true team effort to produce offense.
Defense: A+ Despite having two unproven goaltenders, the Blackhawks are among the league leaders in fewest goals allowed this season. With two blue chip defenders leading the way, Chicago’s blueline is one of the best in the biz. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are the cornerstones of this defensive corps. Seabrook and Brian Campbell lead the team’s defensemen with +18 ratings, and the solid physical play that is a common factor across the board with this team makes them very difficult to play against.
Goaltending: C+
So far, the Hawks’ goaltending issues have been covered by the fact that they have one of the most complete end-to-end teams in the league. A great offense and a stellar young defensive corps deserve far more credit for the team’s success than their goaltending. Cristobal Huet and rookie Antti Niemi are near the bottom of the league in shots against, and Huet’s .895 save percentage is not something you want to see on a team hoping to compete for the Cup. Sure, both goalies have 20+ wins, but whoever starts during the playoffs will have to step their game up.
Special Teams: B+ Chicago’s powerplay ranks 10th in the Western Conference, certainly much lower than they would like to be, but this is still a very dangerous unit with the man advantage. The injury to Brian Campbell could be especially costly if he is unable to return, as his ability to quarterback the powerplay is a huge element in its success. Penalty killing, however, is a major strong point for Chicago. The Hawks rank 5th in the league, with a 84.6% success rate, and have allowed a league low 38 powerplay goals this year.Coupled with the fact that Chicago is one of the least penalized teams in the league, and it’s clear that to beat this team, opponents won’t be relying too heavily on their powerplays.