Chicago Blackhawks Must Pick Up Scoring Pace Against Western Conference Foes

When the Chicago Blackhawks go to Detroit Friday night to take on the Red Wings, there may be a sigh of relief as they take the ice against their old rivals.

No, it's not because the Red Wings moved out of the Western Conference and they miss playing Detroit four or five times a season as they do with their other opponents from the Central Division. 

It's because the Red Wings are now tied to the Eastern Conference, and the Blackhawks offense has performed much better against Eastern foes than it has against teams from the Western Conference.

Through their first 16 games, the Blackhawks have played eight games against opponents from each conference. They have struggled to put the puck in the net against teams from the West, as they are averaging 1.88 goals per game. On the other hand, the Blackhawks are putting the puck in the net 3.63 times per game against Eastern opponents.

If the Blackhawks were hitting the net at the same rate in all their games that they are against Eastern teams, they would be the third-highest scoring team in the league behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (3.86 GPG) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (3.69 GPG). Instead, they are averaging 2.56 GPG, a figure that ranks 20th in the league.

The Blackhawks have struggled to score goals overall this season, but there are signs they are coming out of it. They scored five goals against the Montreal Canadiens Nov. 4, and they equaled that amount five days later when they hosted the San Jose Sharks.

But it's clear that the Blackhawks are going to have to be more productive against their Western foes. They are 3-4-1 against teams from their own conference, and two of those losses were home shutouts suffered at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks and the Winnipeg Jets.

The Blackhawks have to figure out their issues against Western opponents quickly. After their game at Detroit, their next eight games are against Western Conference teams.

One of the areas that would help them start scoring more consistently would be significant improvement in the power play. The Blackhawks are connecting on 17.2 percent of their power-play chances through their first 16 games, a figure that ranks 20th in the league.

The power play has been putrid against Western Conference foes. They have found the back of the net on just three of 26 extra-man opportunities in those situations.

The Blackhawks have done much better in that category against Eastern teams, tallying eight power-play goals in 36 opportunities. The best showings came against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 21 and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 1 when they scored on two of four power-play chances in both games

Head coach Joel Quenneville believes that his team is starting to come along in all areas and that as the Blackhawks become more complete, they will have a chance to improve their showing against tough Western Conference teams.

"Our game has been better," Quenneville told Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com. "I think we're steadily getting more consistent throughout the game. I know some areas we've been very pleased with; some areas that can get better as well. But certainly, our game is getting closer to becoming complete." 

PAUL BEATY/Associated Press

If the Blackhawks are going to score more as the schedule becomes more Western Conference oriented, Quenneville is going to have to look to his stars for leadership. While Jonathan Toews is the Blackhawks' leading scorer with 13 points in 16 games, Patrick Kane has had a harder time scoring consistently. He has 10 points in the same amount of games. 

Brandon Saad is starting to pick up the pace with 11 points, but Marian Hossa has just eight. Defending Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith leads the blue-line scorers with nine points.

The Blackhawks need each of their top players to take responsibility for what's going on in the goal-scoring area since Patrick Sharp (knee) figures to be out of action for about three more weeks. Sharp led the Blackhawks in scoring with 78 points last season. Sharp was injured in the 5-0 win at Montreal earlier this month.

It's not a matter of the Blackhawks not shooting enough. They are averaging 38.1 shots on goal per night. Not only does that rank first in the league, it's 4.2 more shots per game than the second-ranked Minnesota Wild. They have to start making those shots count more by finding corners and not shooting the puck right at the goaltender's core.

The Blackhawks are a respectable 9-6-1 as they prepare for the Red Wings. Their scoring issues could have resulted in a significantly worse record, but they have been bailed out by their goaltending. The Blackhawks are giving up just 1.88 goals per game, which is second in the league to the St. Louis Blues.

Corey Crawford (1.76 goals-against average, .931 save percentage) is playing like one of the elite goalies in the league, but the Blackhawks are playing a dangerous game if they don't give him more support by scoring more goals against opponents from their own conference.