The Hawks have officially tied with the last wild card team in their division, Colorado Avalanche, which puts them within one or two games of being into the first round of the playoffs. With both teams at 61 points, there is a glimmer of hope for fans who weren't sure how this season would go.
At the beginning of the season, the Chicago Blackhawks were dead-last in the league in regards to basically everything. With multiple huge shake ups throwing the players off their game, it seemed as if it would be a second year with no playoff appearance for the Hawks. The team's new coach, Jeremy Colliton, has redeveloped the team's speed, shoot accuracy, and aggressiveness on the ice. In addition to this, the power play has finally evolved into something a lot less embarrassing that will fuel a terrific postseason.
Patrick Kane is currently second in the league in points, seven points behind Tampa Bay player Nikita Kucherov. He is also second in goals, only 4 points behind Alex Ovechkin. Kane extended his point streak to 19 consecutive games during Wednesday night's game against the Detroit Red Wings, which gives fans hope for a promising future in the playoffs.
Jonathan Toews has also picked up his pace, scoring at least one point in 19 of his last 22 matches. His scoring streak is up to three games with eighteen points in his last 11 matches.
With the team's leaders firing up the rest of the team and two promising goalies defending the net, the Hawks are set up for a beautiful scene in the playoffs this year. Our defense has been growing stronger each game and new players such as Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome working well on the blue lines and other players such as Drake Cagiula and John Hayden bringing energy to the team with big fights on the ice, the team has all it needs to have a successful postseason.
Players are also growing accustomed to, and loving, coach Jeremy Colliton. His style of communication in comparison to Joel Quenneville's, admittedly, took time for the players to adjust to. They all love the feedback he provides to every player on the team. The lines have become much more consistent and you can definitely tell that Patrick Kane has flourished under the new system.
If the Hawks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the story line would be magnificent. The team that started the season last in points, was eliminated in four game two years ago, completely missed the playoffs in 2018, is under the control of a new coach, and experienced a long list of trades involving big players, is in the final round competing for the cup. As we know, the Blackhawks are finishers when given an opportunity to perform in the finals. In their 13 total appearances in the finals, they have won six times, three of which were in the past nine years with current captain Jonathan Toews and right-winger Patrick Kane.
With all of these different things going their way, it is nearly impossible for the Chicago Blackhawks to be stopped now in their efforts to not only make the playoffs, but dominate them and make it to the final round and crown themselves the 2019 Stanley Cup Champions.
