(670 The Score) As of this writing Thursday afternoon, the Blackhawks hold a 0.4 percent chance of making the playoffs. Their offense went cold when they needed it most and if not for goalie Corey Crawford's heroics, the Hawks may have been dead a week ago.
While we'll have plenty of time to look back on the season in the coming weeks and also what lies ahead, I want to focus on what's happened recently here.
THREE UP
CrOwMG!: If there was any doubt that Crawford could return to elite-level goaltending, he silenced those doubters with his most recent stretch. He has stopped all but 10 of the 134 shots he has faced in the past five games. Crawford also did that behind an historically bad penalty kill. The Hawks are in danger of having the NHL's worst penalty kill percentage since the 1988-'89 Maple Leafs only killed 72.7 percent of the penalties they committed. The Blackhawks sit at 73.1 percent.
Twinkle Toews: The Captain has had a resurgent season. With 74 points and six games, it's safe to assume that Jonathan Toews will pass his career-high of 76 points set in 2010-'11. Toews has proved that he's willing to do the work to improve himself every year and is close to a point-per-game player for the first time in nearly a decade. Recently, the points haven't been coming as frequently as anyone would prefer, but that goes for the entire team. His level of effort has been outstanding all season and especially over this stretch. Toews is playing with a fire that doesn't show up in box scores but is obvious to anyone watching. He's working harder than anyone on the ice.
Perlini's emergence: When the Blackhawks acquired Brendan Perlini with Dylan Strome in the Nick Schmaltz trade with the Coyotes, it looked like Chicago was adding a potential top-nine forward with a ton of upside. Then, Perlini played and looked lost on the ice. He found himself a healthy scratch most nights, but when Drake Caggiula went down with a concussion, Perlini got back in the lineup and took full advantage. From March 11-16, Perlini recorded seven points in three games. He was named one of the league's stars of the week. While his production has dried up since, his impact hasn't. Perlini has been one of the Blackhawks' standouts recently. He's due a new contract after this season. If the Hawks can lock him up for $1 million or so, they could be looking at a bargain player.
THREE DOWN
The power-less play: When the Blackhawks started making up ground in the standings, even holding a playoff spot for a few hours, they were doing it on the heels of Patrick Kane and their power play. Over their last 10 games, the Blackhawks gone 2-of-22 on power-play chances. Coupled with the aforementioned penalty kill, it has a recipe for disaster.
Draining Kane: It was bound to happen. Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton had to know it was coming all while hoping he could just carry the team a little longer, but Kane is out of gas. He has been double shifting every night, carrying the load offensively, playing 23 minutes a night ... and it's finally showing. I have a hard time criticizing Colliton for this, as it was really the Hawks' only option, but it's unfortunate that Kane couldn't keep it going to six more games (and maybe a playoff round). Of course, now watch Kane go explode for seven points in his next two games.
Stan blew it: Overall, I'm a Stan Bowman fan. He's one of the better and more respected general managers in the league, but man, I can't help but think if he had just had the fortitude to pull the trigger and fire coach Joel Quenneville last summer where this team might be instead. Everyone knew it was coming sooner or later. Had Colliton had the benefit of a training camp to implement his system instead of doing it on the fly midseason, the Hawks may have a playoff spot locked up. Instead, they had to dig out from an eight-game losing streak in November and December. Perhaps Bowman also would've signed or traded for players that fit the new system instead of adding Chris Kunitz and the thankfully traded Brandon Manning. Perhaps.
The Hawks were on a 100-point pace later in the season. They were capable of winning despite their myriad flaws. Instead, the Hawks are now in hockey hell ... out of the playoff but not in line for a top draft pick. It's the worst possible scenario.
Jay Zawaski is the executive producer of the Bernstein & McKnight Show on 670 middays from 9 a.m. to noon and a columnist for 670 The Score. He's also the co-host of the Madhouse Chicago Hockey Podcast, which is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or your preferred podcast app. Follow him on Twitter @JayZawaski670.
