WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Throughout the past few months, as they’ve plummeted from contention to consternation, the Blackhawks have repeatedly pointed to their dominant performance in a 5-1 road victory over the Winnipeg Jets way back on Dec. 14 as proof that they’ve still got it, that — despite what the standings say — they’re not far off.
That the three-time Stanley Cup champions are clinging to a three-month-old victory over a team that hasn’t won a single playoff game since its inception in 2011 is as big an indicator as any of the power shift that has taken place in the Central Division.
The Hawks are no longer the team everybody else is chasing. The hunted have become the hunters.
“It’s exciting,” second-year Jets sniper Patrik Laine said before Thursday’s 6-2 rout of the Hawks. “We know that we have a really good team here and it was just a matter of time [before] we were going to get success. There’s still a lot of work to do. It’s not complete. But anything can happen in the playoffs.”
The Jets aren’t going anywhere, either. Their dynamic core of Laine, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Dustin Byfuglien are signed through next year, many of them long-term. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, just 24, is a Vezina Trophy candidate.
They had an easy time Thursday night. Brandon Saad scored 11 seconds into the game, but the Jets scored five straight goals to close out the period, with Anton Forsberg giving up three goals on six shots before being pulled for J-F Berube. It was the sixth time this season Forsberg has been chased from the net in just 27 starts. Patrick Sharp had the other goal for the Hawks.
And Winnipeg isn’t even the scariest team in the division. The Nashville Predators are currently the top team in the league. Their unrivaled top four defensemen are locked up, and their outstanding top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson are signed long-term. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars have Jamie Benn, Alex Radulov, defenseman John Klingberg and goaltender Ben Bishop locked up for years to come.
“Even Colorado is trending up with their team,” Hawks center Nick Schmaltz added. “These teams aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
It’s going to be challenging enough for the Hawks to get back into contention next season. They need so many things to go right, from Corey Crawford’s health to Saad’s production to the continued development of their younger players to some free-agent help on the blue line. But even if all that does break in the Hawks’ favor, it’s not as if they’ll be able to waltz back up to the top of the Central Division. Too many teams are too good, too young, and too well-built for long-term, sustained success.
But Patrick Kane pointed out that the Central Division has been a meat-grinder for years. And while winning the division is always the goal, just getting back into the playoffs is what really matters.
“Nothing’s given, even if you win the division,” Kane said. “The biggest thing is just making the playoffs and giving yourself a chance. Eight can beat one, seven can beat two, whatever it is. The way the parity is in the NHL now, the biggest thing is just trying to get into the playoffs. If we’re chasing teams, we’re chasing teams. Just get in any way you can.”
The Hawks have reason for optimism, too. Jonathan Toews, Kane, Saad and Duncan Keith are locked up for years to come. Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat aren’t going anywhere. And assuming Crawford is healthy by the fall, he’s got two years left on his contract. So while the Jets, Predators, Stars and Avalanche are all poised for long-term success, the Hawks, ever defiant, believe they are, too.
“We’ve got a lot of youth, a lot of talent, as well,” Toews said. “It’s up to us to continue to improve, and find ways to unleash that potential.”
Follow me on Twitter @MarkLazerus
Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com
