There's something scary about the team that rolls into the playoffs on a hot streak, and if the postseason started today, the Chicago Blackhawks would be that team. Even scarier when they're the defending champs, right?
Blackhawks Vs. Wild: Chicago Wins Fifth Straight, Climbs To Sixth In West
For the fifth game in a row, Joel Quenneville's bunch earned two points, this time a vital four-point-swing against one of those teams in direct competition for the postseason -- the Minnesota Wild. With the 4-2 win, the Blackhawks climbed up to 74 points, good for a rise from eighth to sixth place. The Wild remained down in ninth place with the loss.
It's been the same characters getting the job done for the Blackhawks over this recent stretch. Patrick Sharp scored his 33rd goal of the season (bet you didn't know Patrick Sharp was second in the NHL in goals) while Jonathan Toews scored what turned out to be the game-winner in the second period. It was Toews' fourth goal in sixth games.
A weak Wild power play didn't help them much in this one. They only had three cracks at the power play, but there was a clear inability to get many solid scoring chances with the extra man and that ultimately cost them the opportunity to tie the game. A Marian Hossa shorthanded goal late in the third was the icing on the cake.
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