Blackhawks losing ground in Central Division, still playoff favorite

There was a point earlier in the season where the Blackhawks were the team in the NHL.

They had won eight in a row. They demolished the two Southern California teams back-to-back and on the road. They beat the Predators in Nashville – a place where winning teams have gone to die this year.

And then January hit … and now the Blackhawks – while firmly in the playoffs – are struggling to keep pace with the Predators and the St. Louis Blues for the top spot in the Central Division.

From the Chicago Tribune after the Blackhawks’ shootout loss to Detroit on Wednesday, which has seemed to sound some alarm bells in the Windy City:

Still clinging to the dream of finishing atop the Central Division, the Blackhawks realize the only way they're going to catch the first-place Predators is to pile up victories.

But the inability to string them together has hindered the Hawks' quest and they are well into their third month without more than two triumphs in a row after they fell to the Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday night at the United Center. It marked the fifth time since they had an eight-game winning streak snapped Dec. 11 that the Hawks failed in a bid for a third consecutive victory.

That’s interesting – especially for a team with the talent of the Blackhawks. Since the calendar flipped to 2015, Chicago is 10-8-3. Granted, part of that is scheduling. The Blackhawks had a seven-game roadtrip mixed in there. But during their torrid November and early December, Chicago had a six game trip were it went 5-1-0.

And as the Predators and Blues continue to play well, Chicago – again while staying well in playoff mode – continues to fall so slightly behind their division rivals:

From CSN Chicago:

The Blackhawks reiterated the importance of taking things one game at a time, but the team is keeping a close eye on the standings as they look to catch up to both the Predators and Blues. Following their shootout loss, the Blackhawks are now three points behind St. Louis and nine behind Nashville. 

But is this really an issue? In today’s NHL does regular season success truly matter come postseason? The Los Angeles Kings flipped this thinking on its head when they dominated their way to the Stanley Cup as an eighth seed in 2012.

The most recent Bovada Stanley Cup odds – which came out Feb. 3 – had Chicago as a 6 to 1 shot to win it all. The Blackhawks have a 9.5 percent chance of winning the Stanley Cup according to Sports Club Stats, which is still pretty good. And that site seems to change its numbers almost weekly. With one winning streak Chicago can jump the Predators – who lead Sports Club Stats at 17.5 percent, but are still a true first line center from being a true favorite.

And it’s not that the Hawks are bad. If they were playing horribly and not getting points there would be cause for concern. But as the Chicago Sun-Times points out, the Blackhawks, in their #rivalrynight loss to Detroit, played quite solidly:

Despite outshooting the Red Wings 17-6 in the first, and despite camping out in the Detroit zone for a nearly four-minute stretch that included one of their best power plays of the season, the Hawks entered the first intermission still tied 0-0.

Frustrating? A little. But more encouraging than anything.

So in conclusion … will Chicago win the Central Division? It’s looking unlikely. Will the Blackhawks be one of the most dangerous Western Conference teams in the playoffs? Yup, without question.

If they were on a long losing streak, like say … the Sharks right now, then freak out mode would be merited. But Chicago hasn’t lost more than two in a row since Jan. 1. And the Blackhawks are in the midst of a seven-game point streak – albeit with three shootout or OT losses.

We can just classify this all as #blackhawksproblems and nothing more.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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