What Shutout Win Means for the Chicago Blackhawks Going Forward

After shutting out the St. Louis Blues in their exhibition game, the Chicago Blackhawks are entering the playoffs with new-found life.

The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the last teams to make it into the Stanley Cup Playoffs under the 24-team format. They were the second-last team added, ahead of the Montréal Canadiens, having the 23rd most points in the league with 72 after finishing with a record of 32-30-8, with 23 of their wins being in regulation before the league suspended the regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to the formation of the 24-team playoff format, the Blackhawks genuinely had no business being in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But because of a shortened season, they were given a gift from above. I’m sure general manager Stan Bowman is not complaining right now.

The odds of surpassing the Edmonton Oilers in the qualifying round of the playoffs have shifted in favor of the Hawks after they shutout the St. Louis Blues, 4-0 on Wednesday evening.

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They relied on their usual impact players of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Dylan Strome, but also received some impressive play from Dominik Kubalik, as he scored two goals against the Blues’ impeccable defense and stud net-minder Jordan Binnington.

The very young team is heading into the best-of-five series against the Oilers with a new sense of urgency and confidence resulting from their dominant win a few nights ago. Even with this ego boost, though, is it still enough to surpass the Oilers’ dominant stars in the great white north?

Considering the individual leaders for each team in points during the 2019-20 regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks’ top five goal scorers were Patrick Kane (33), Dominik Kubalik (30), Brandon Saad (21), Jonathan Toews (18), and Alex Debrincat (18).

Apart from Kane and Kubalik, their scoring leaders are by no means intimidating, but it shows their depth in terms of production. This is especially shown in total points, as their top five leaders were Kane (84), Toews (60), Kubalik (46), Debrincat (45), and Dylan Strome (38).

As a whole, the Chicago Blackhawks scored 208 goals for with 214 goals were scored against, having a goal differential of -6. Their weakest department was their brutal power-play, as they scored just 33 goals on 217 power-play opportunities with a power-play scoring percentage of just 15.21%, the third-worst mark in the NHL.

Surprisingly, however, their penalty kill was one of their strong-suits, as 37 goals were scored against on 207 opposing power-play opportunities (No. 14), with a penalty kill percentage of 82.13%. In comparison, the average PP% in the league was 20.03% and the average PK% was 79.97%.

In comparison, the Edmonton Oilers’ top five goal scorers were Leon Draisaitl (43), Connor McDavid (34), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (22), James Neal (19), and Zack Kassian (15). Their top five leaders in total points were Draisaitl (110), McDavid (97), Nugent-Hopkins (61), Oskar Klefbom (34), and Kassian (34).

Unlike the Hawks, the Oilers rely heavily on superstars McDavid and Draisaitl to get the job done. For perspective as to how much they carry this team, in the 2018-19 season, they were one of the only teams in the history of the NHL to have two players on the same team score 100+ points and fail to make the playoffs.

As a team, the Oilers finished with a 37-25-9 record, winning 31 games in regulation. They scored 223 goals with 215 goals against, having a goal differential of +8. Not only were they dangerous at even strength, but their special teams were also one of the best in the NHL during the 2019-20 season.

On the power-play, Edmonton scored 59 power play goals on 200 opportunities with a 29.50 PP%. Their penalty kill was just as dominant, as the allowed 31 power play goals against on 199 opportunities, with an 84.42 PK%. Comparing Chicago’s power-play against Edmonton’s penalty kill, it is quite apparent that the Hawks will have a hard time scoring much-needed goals on special teams.

In their series, the Chicago Blackhawks have the momentum, but it will come down to Kane, Toews, and ageless Duncan Keith, and whether or not they can withstand the new generation of stardom as they face McDavid, Draisaitl, and goaltending duo Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen in a potential offensive shootout. As both teams are capable of scoring a surplus amount of goals in a game with their immense talent, it will come down to who can stop the other team from scoring.