The Chicago Blackhawks have had one of the best starts to not just an NHL season, but any sport. In their first 19 games, the Blackhawks have a record of 16-0-3. That’s 16 wins, and 3 losses all via the way of a shootout. They have not lost a single game in regulation thus far. Just three years off since their Stanley Cup victory, Chicago look poised to enter this year’s playoffs as the number one seed in the Western Conference, already amassing an 8 point advantage over the second placed Anaheim Ducks. The reason they have had such an amazing start is no coincedence. it all starts with their goaltending.
Corey Crawford, through the 11 games he has started, as a GAA of 1.5, and his back-up, Ray Emery has started 8 games with a GAA of 2.08 for a combined GAA of 1.79. When you’re conceding less than two goals a game, you should be at least winning more games than you are losing, especially when your opponents have only 34 goals past your goalies.
Patrick Kane on the other hand, is leading the way on offense, with 24 points in 19 games. Being helped along by the usual suspects of Marian Hossa (9G, 6A), Jonathan Toews (7G, 8A) and Patrick Sharp (4G, 11A), Chicago have a 4th best 3.1 goals per game, and with star defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook starting to find form, it seems that the streak could last a lot longer in Chi-Town.
