Chicago Blackhawks: Sixth in the West May Be the Catbird Seat

The Chicago Blackhawks currently sit in the sixth spot in the Western Conference standings, four points ahead of Phoenix and four behind Nashville. That may just be the best spot for the 'Hawks to be.

All things considered, the sixth seed could wind up providing Chicago with a favorable matchup in the first round of the playoffs. A lot can happen between now and April, but a look at the standings reveals that finishing the season in their current position would not be the end of the world.

It appears that the conference's top spot is going to go either to Vancouver or the winner of the Central Division, with the other team occupying the second slot. Dallas, who currently leads the Pacific Division, is nearly 15 points off of the pace set by the Canucks, Blues and Red Wings.

The 'Hawks visit the Blues, who lead the Central, Tuesday night in hopes of extending their current winning streak to four games.

Chicago has quite a number of variables that will factor into their overall playoff position. That's not to say that their perch in the top eight is a foregone conclusion.

Captain Jonathan Toews still does not have a hard date set on his return. Niklas Hjalmarsson and Steve Montador are in similar situations. Ray Emery has set himself up for most of the starts in net down the stretch.

A bevy of rookies look to be big parts of a playoff push. Right now, Patrick Kane is a center and both Brendan Morrison and Michael Frolik are in spectator roles. To think that the 'Hawks can just cruise along in the six lane from here on out is a bit presumptuous.

As long as we're there, though, let's check out the lay of the land.

The way things currently stand, Chicago avoids the top two conference seeds in the first round and takes on the Stars or whoever winds up winning the Pacific this season. Moving up to the fourth or fifth seeds likely means a Central Division rival to open the playoffs.

It could be Detroit or St. Louis, or a series with the Predators. Pick your poison.

Now, the Stars aren't exactly a walk in the park as a first-round opponent—neither are any of the Western Conference teams. The 'Hawks have shown that they aren't in a position to blow anyone out of the water in a postseason series.

However, in terms of an opening opponent, the third seed seems to be the optimal team to draw in the conference quarterfinals. Then again, Chicago does have a 4-6-1 combined record over Dallas, Phoenix, and San Jose, so the argument can be made that a better opponent would be a Central foe that the 'Hawks match up with.

That would be Detroit, against whom the 'Hawks are 3-0-2 this season. Chicago has three one-goal victories over the Red Wings, who have been missing key players as well. Playing Detroit might allow the 'Hawks offense some space, but that's a tough series.

Speaking of tough series, how does six or seven games with Nashville sound? The Predators have taken three of four from Chicago and outscored the Blackhawks 15-10 while doing it.

To me, I'd like to see the 'Hawks take their chances with the Pacific Division. The sixth seed doesn't give us home ice, but 10 points is a lot to make up with 15 games to play.

Maintaining their present position may not be the worst thing for Chicago.