The Blackhawks: Victims Of Their Own Expectations?

From firing their coach four games into the season, to losing three shootouts, the Blackhawks have certainly had an eventful first nine contests to his season.

I'm not one to immediately sound the alarm on a team that had a six game point streak come to an end on Monday vs. Minnesota, but there are cracks in the armor that are becoming more and more apparent by the day that I feel are threatening the Hawks' charmed season.

Every point is critical in this NHL, with parity being the name of the game. The Blackhawks had 88 points last season, and they were three points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot. They lost eight times either in OT or in the shootout last year. What does this tell us?

It tells us that the Blackhawks gave away eight potential points, and if they had won merely three more of those eight, they would have tied for the final playoff spot. In fact, if they had won against Nashville on March 22nd instead of losing in overtime, they would have made the post season outright.

Having demonstrated the importance of not giving points away, the Blackhawks this season have already lost three shootouts. Last year, they didn't lose in OT until November 17th. It's doubtful that they will continue this pace (it would result in 27 OT losses), but at this rate, they are giving away points that they cannot afford to.

Another item of concern is the absence of Jonathan Toews from the scoring sheet. He has five assists, but no goals in the first season of his captaincy. To compare, Andre Johnson, a defenseman, already has two goals. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are also defenseman and have two goals apiece.

While it is good that various players have contributed, it is not a good sign that Toews hasn't scored this season. Last year, he had a 16.7% shot percentage while scoring 21 goals. So far this season, he has 30 shots on goal, but with no success.

To be fair, he is getting plenty of scoring opportunities. This statistic can be read to not necessarily just mean that Toews needs to score. It also means that the Hawks are not getting enough traffic in front of the net. Repeatedly during their game against Minnesota on Monday, the Hawks would take shots that would find their way straight and true to Niklas Backstrom, and the Minnesota goalie made 34 saves on 36 attempts.

Another statistic that has me worried from the game is the play of Cristobal Huet. The Wild only managed 18 shots against him, but managed three goals. A save percentage of 83% is unacceptable for a goalie who was viewed to be the best free agent available on the market in the off-season. It's no small wonder that Nikolai Khabibulin has been the primary goalie thus far this season.

The final worrisome factor in the Blackhawks' slow start are the off-ice distractions that the young team has had to endure. Having one of the youngest team in the NHL is not normally a good starting point, but when you add in red carpet premieres, huge expectations of a hungry city, and the glare of the upcoming Winter Classic, you have a recipe that's ripe for disaster.

Now, I'm not saying that the Blackhawks are going to finish 20 points out of the playoffs. This team is superior to the team they put on the ice last year. They have a solid core of defensemen, and they do have a very deep group of goalies, including Corey Crawford and Antti Niemi waiting in the wings.

Their early shortcomings, however, are things that need to be addressed before they become bigger problems. This team has the potential to be great, and thus far this season, they have not lived up to that potential. As Joel Quenneville's system becomes more ingrained, and if Toews can start producing goals, this team will eventually turn it around. Let's hope that they can do this before it is too late.