The Blackhawks have clawed their way back into the playoff picture thanks to the heroics of one man, Patrick Kane. Last night, Kane took matters into his own hands and defeated the Blackhawks' longtime rival, Detroit Red Wings, in OT.
Provided by NHL.com[/caption]
Provided by NHL.com[/caption]
NHL Goals Scored Leaders (as of 2/20/19)
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Provided by NHL.com[/caption]
NHL Assists Leaders (as of 2/20/19)
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Provided by NHL.com[/caption]
Patrick Kane is currently on pace to score 124 points (51G, 73A) this season which are new career highs across the board. These numbers are also better than the numbers he put up during the 2015-16 season in which he put up 106 points (46G, 60A) and won the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP), the Art Ross Trophy (most points), and Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player).
However, even with these insane numbers, Kane is not a favorite or a lock for any of these awards at the moment. That is crazy to think about in its own right.
With the way things have played out, the Blackhawks are looking extremely dangerous and I'm willing to go on the record as saying nobody wants a piece of Patrick Kane right now. Kane is a man on a mission and that mission is Playoffs or Bust.
After last night's win, the Blackhawks have won 10 of their last 12 games and are tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the 2nd Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. With that said, the Blackhawks will take on the Avalanche at home this Friday, so they are still very much in control of their destiny with 21 games left to play. This Wild Card race will likely come down to the wire, so Kane & Co. will need to be at their best, night in and night out, for the remainder of the season. [caption id="attachment_121660" align="aligncenter" width="1224"]Patrick Kane with the celly
Nobody wants any part of this man in the playoffs right now. Kane is gunning for that Hart Memorial Trophy. This team is dangerous 👀 #Blackhawks #CHIvsDET #HockeyTwitter #NHL pic.twitter.com/HdRwahFnj8 — ✶ ✶Tony G✶ ✶ (@Certified_TonyG) February 21, 2019
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The Heroics of Patrick Kane
When I say Patrick Kane is playing out of his mind this season, I mean it to the fullest degree. Right now, Kane is putting up numbers that you couldn't even pull off in a video game and it has been an absolute pleasure to watch.With 92 total points (38G, 54A) through 61 games, Patrick Kane is currently at the top of just about every NHL offensive category. Here is the breakdown of where he stands in each of those categories. NHL Points Leaders (as of 2/20/19) [caption id="attachment_121661" align="aligncenter" width="617"]Patrick Kane now holds the two longest point streaks ever by a U.S.-born player: 26 – @88PKane in 2015-16 (16-24—40) 19 – @88PKane in 2018-19 (15-26—41)* 18 – Phil Kessel in 2008-09 (14-14—28) 18 – Eddie Olczyk in 1989-90 (11-17—28)
*Active#NHLStats #WNH pic.twitter.com/H18FyL4yHn — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 21, 2019
Provided by NHL.com[/caption]
NHL Goals Scored Leaders (as of 2/20/19)
[caption id="attachment_121662" align="aligncenter" width="598"] Provided by NHL.com[/caption]
NHL Assists Leaders (as of 2/20/19)
[caption id="attachment_121663" align="aligncenter" width="615"] Provided by NHL.com[/caption]
Patrick Kane is currently on pace to score 124 points (51G, 73A) this season which are new career highs across the board. These numbers are also better than the numbers he put up during the 2015-16 season in which he put up 106 points (46G, 60A) and won the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP), the Art Ross Trophy (most points), and Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player).
However, even with these insane numbers, Kane is not a favorite or a lock for any of these awards at the moment. That is crazy to think about in its own right.
Patrick Kane Gets By With a Little Help From His Friends
Although Patrick Kane has taken his game to another level this season, he is not the only one who has stepped up in the Blackhawks time of need. Jonathan Toews has had himself quite a nice bounce-back season and it has surprisingly gone under the radar. Toews currently has 61 points (28G, 33A) through 61 games.Scor Scor Scor Goal Goal Goal Goal Assi Assi Assi Shot Shot Shot Ice Ice Season Tm GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% BLK HIT TK GV 2007-08 CHI 64 24 30 54 11 44 17 7 0 4 13 15 2 144 16.7 217 1195 18:40 509 447 53.2 13 27 29 8 2008-09 CHI 82 34 35 69 12 51 22 12 0 7 25 10 0 195 17.4 284 1527 18:38 704 583 54.7 26 43 54 18 2009-10 CHI 76 25 43 68 22 47 15 9 1 3 27 13 3 202 12.4 297 1520 20:00 801 596 57.3 33 56 69 24 2010-11 CHI 80 32 44 76 25 26 21 10 1 8 28 15 1 233 13.7 344 1661 20:46 937 716 56.7 28 74 93 30 2011-12 CHI 59 29 28 57 17 28 23 5 1 4 19 7 2 185 15.7 257 1230 20:51 675 462 59.4 14 32 82 25 2012-13 CHI 47 23 25 48 28 27 19 2 2 5 20 4 1 143 16.1 224 909 19:21 559 374 59.9 16 24 56 16 2013-14 CHI 76 28 40 68 26 34 20 5 3 5 28 10 2 193 14.5 284 1555 20:28 884 660 57.3 20 29 51 30 2014-15 CHI 81 28 38 66 30 36 20 6 2 7 26 11 1 192 14.6 304 1585 19:34 947 728 56.5 16 56 45 34 2015-16 CHI 80 28 30 58 16 62 18 6 4 8 24 3 3 179 15.6 278 1540 19:15 921 652 58.6 38 81 57 28 2016-17 CHI 72 21 37 58 7 35 15 6 0 5 26 11 0 199 10.6 311 1451 20:09 852 700 54.9 32 43 37 37 2017-18 CHI 74 20 32 52 -1 47 18 2 0 2 22 10 0 211 9.5 341 1457 19:41 900 653 58.0 24 32 53 42 2018-19 CHI 60 28 32 60 5 28 21 6 1 5 20 12 0 163 17.2 252 1249 20:49 761 573 57.0 28 23 58 40 Career 12 yrs 851 320 414 734 198 465 229 76 15 63 278 121 15 2239 14.3 3393 16880 19:50 9450 7144 56.9 288 520 684 332Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table Alex DeBrincat has also taken a big step this season, as he has already surpassed his point total from his rookie season (52). Like Toews, DeBrincat currently has 61 points (33G, 28A) through 61 games and is seemingly scoring at will nowadays.
Scor Scor Scor Goal Goal Goal Goal Assi Assi Assi Shot Shot Shot Ice Ice Season Tm GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% BLK HIT TK GV 2017-18 CHI 82 28 24 52 6 6 22 6 0 1 18 6 0 181 15.5 358 1214 14:48 25 34 42.4 25 40 33 25 2018-19 CHI 60 32 28 60 3 15 22 10 0 1 17 11 0 170 18.8 287 1047 17:27 15 17 46.9 19 25 36 29 Career 2 yrs 142 60 52 112 9 21 44 16 0 2 35 17 0 351 17.1 645 2261 15:55 40 51 44.0 44 65 69 54Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table Alex DeBrincat's partner in crime, Dylan Strome, has been such a force at the 2nd line center position since being acquired from the Arizona Coyotes earlier this season. Since joining the Blackhawks, Strome has transformed into the player everyone thought he could be when he was drafted 3rd overall by the Coyotes in 2015. In 57 games this season, Strome has 41 points (15G, 26A). In 36 games with the Blackhawks, Strome has 36 points (12G, 24A).
Scor Scor Scor Goal Goal Goal Goal Assi Assi Assi Shot Shot Shot Ice Ice Season Tm GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% BLK HIT TK GV 2016-17 ARI 7 0 1 1 -5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 0.0 16 96 13:41 31 46 40.3 2 3 3 0 2017-18 ARI 21 4 5 9 4 8 3 1 0 0 5 0 0 30 13.3 64 272 12:57 92 122 43.0 12 7 12 2 2018-19 TOT 56 15 26 41 -5 16 10 5 0 3 18 8 0 103 14.6 169 895 15:59 342 350 49.4 33 11 33 21 2018-19 ARI 20 3 3 6 -10 6 0 3 0 1 2 1 0 40 7.5 68 271 13:32 138 100 58.0 9 2 8 4 2018-19 CHI 36 12 23 35 5 10 10 2 0 2 16 7 0 63 19.0 101 624 17:20 204 250 44.9 24 9 25 17 3 yrs ARI 48 7 9 16 -11 14 3 4 0 1 8 1 0 76 9.2 148 638 13:18 261 268 49.3 23 12 23 6 1 yr CHI 36 12 23 35 5 10 10 2 0 2 16 7 0 63 19.0 101 624 17:20 204 250 44.9 24 9 25 17 Career 3 yrs 84 19 32 51 -6 24 13 6 0 3 24 8 0 139 13.7 249 1262 15:02 465 518 47.3 47 21 48 23Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table Erik Gustafsson has taken his game to the next level this season and finally realized his potential. Gustafsson has already set career highs in every offensive category this season and is still adding onto those numbers. Although his offensive numbers have been impressive, Gustafsson has been somewhat of a liability on defense. He is currently sitting at a -13± rating. Some improvements need to be made in that aspect of his game, but besides that, you can't really complain about the results this season.
Scor Scor Scor Goal Goal Goal Goal Assi Assi Assi Shot Shot Shot Ice Ice Season Tm GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% BLK HIT TK GV 2015-16 CHI 41 0 14 14 11 4 0 0 0 0 13 1 0 58 0.0 130 633 15:27 0 0 37 29 9 12 2017-18 CHI 35 5 11 16 1 6 5 0 0 0 7 4 0 71 7.0 131 649 18:33 0 1 0.0 45 30 12 23 2018-19 CHI 57 12 26 38 -13 20 8 4 0 3 17 9 0 104 11.5 238 1247 21:53 0 0 80 58 18 53 Career 3 yrs 133 17 51 68 -1 30 13 4 0 3 37 14 0 233 7.3 499 2530 19:01 0 1 0.0 162 117 39 88Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table Last, but not least, is Brandon Saad. After a down season and a slow start to this season, Saad seems to have found his footing, and once again, looks like the Saad everyone grew fond of. Through 59 games, Saad is sitting at 37 points (21G, 16A). As the Blackhawks make a push for the playoffs, Brandon Saad's contributions will be crucial down the stretch.
Scor Scor Scor Goal Goal Goal Goal Assi Assi Assi Shot Shot Shot Ice Ice Season Tm GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% BLK HIT TK GV 2011-12 CHI 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 4 28 14:01 0 0 1 0 2 0 2012-13 CHI 46 10 17 27 17 12 9 0 1 2 14 3 0 98 10.2 163 757 16:28 17 29 37.0 12 41 26 15 2013-14 CHI 78 19 28 47 20 20 16 3 0 2 20 6 2 159 11.9 271 1271 16:17 50 72 41.0 20 48 50 24 2014-15 CHI 82 23 29 52 7 12 21 2 0 6 21 8 0 203 11.3 323 1415 17:15 38 50 43.2 29 53 46 29 2015-16 CBJ 78 31 22 53 1 14 25 6 0 7 19 2 1 233 13.3 396 1343 17:13 19 15 55.9 25 43 33 31 2016-17 CBJ 82 24 29 53 23 8 23 1 0 4 27 2 0 210 11.4 370 1396 17:02 4 5 44.4 26 24 43 29 2017-18 CHI 82 18 17 35 -10 14 17 1 0 8 17 0 0 237 7.6 397 1435 17:30 56 65 46.3 32 29 45 16 2018-19 CHI 58 20 16 36 -6 8 12 5 3 2 15 1 0 142 14.1 234 1007 17:21 17 33 34.0 21 35 25 20 6 yrs CHI 348 90 107 197 28 66 75 11 4 20 87 18 2 842 10.7 1392 5913 16:59 178 249 41.7 115 206 194 104 2 yrs CBJ 160 55 51 106 24 22 48 7 0 11 46 4 1 443 12.4 766 2739 17:07 23 20 53.5 51 67 76 60 Career 8 yrs 508 145 158 303 52 88 123 18 4 31 133 22 3 1285 11.3 2158 8652 17:02 201 269 42.8 166 273 270 164Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Playoffs?
At this moment, the Blackhawks control their own destiny and have a real shot at making the playoffs. Before last night's win in OT, the Blackhawks were projected to have a 25% chance of getting into the playoffs and the win last night only helped their odds.The Western Conference Wild Card race is still wide open. The fact that the Blackhawks are being mentioned in the same sentence as playoffs is a testament to their hard work and determination, but being mentioned in context is not enough. I need to see it happen. I need more and I'm sure every Blackhawks fan would agree with me there. The next big challenge will be the Colorado Avalanche, who are currently in possession of that 2nd Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks faceoff against the Avalanche at home on Friday, so as the legendary Tallahassee of Zombieland once said,#NHL playoff chances as of 2/20/19, per @domluszczyszyn#Blackhawks playoff chances are now up to 25%. They are in control of their own destiny right now 👀 #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/BwsCCz86WZ
— ✶ ✶Tony G✶ ✶ (@Certified_TonyG) February 20, 2019
With the way things have played out, the Blackhawks are looking extremely dangerous and I'm willing to go on the record as saying nobody wants a piece of Patrick Kane right now. Kane is a man on a mission and that mission is Playoffs or Bust.
Did you expect anything else?
Patrick Kane GAME WINNER! pic.twitter.com/I6F0GBx7g0 — Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 21, 2019
#ThatsMyMVP
For more Blackhawks news and updates, follow the author @Certified_TonyG on Twitter.
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