CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 14: Jared McCann #19 of the Seattle Kraken and Taylor Raddysh #11 of the Chicago
Blackhawks battle for control of the puck during the second period at
United Center on January 14, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League right now. No team in the league has fewer points than them which is both good and bad. They trail the Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets by two points for the worst record in the league.
Lots of fans want them to stay at or near the bottom because of the fact that they can get a generational talent in the draft this year. Connor Bedard is truly sensational and whatever team gets him is going to be changed forever.
Because the Hawks are clearly so bad and involved in this conversation, it was clear that their three-game winning streak wasn’t going to last. It was fun while it lasted but they were always going to come back down to earth in a big way. Well, that happened on Saturday night in a big way.
The Seattle Kraken came to the United Center on a seven-game winnings streak and they moved up to eight straight with their 8-5 victory.
This was also the seventh and final game of their road trip that saw them go 7-0. They are the first team in league history to sweep a road swing of at least seven games.
The Chicago Blackhawks saw their three-game winning streak end in a big way.
Patrick Kane made his return for this game but it came at the expense of Lukas Reichel who was sent down to the Rockford Ice Hogs. Clearly, the Hawks see his developing down there as a better idea than his developing in the NHL which is a curious decision but it is up to them.
Oddly, no fault to him at all, they went 3-0 without Kane and lost right when he came back. It is funny how sports work sometimes.
The Blackhawks were losing 6-1 after the first period. it is always hard for the rest of the game when you go down that badly early. They were even down 8-3 early in the third period but they found two more goals to get it within three which shows a fight.
This team is bad but they don’t play without effort ever and that is a good sign for the future as more talent starts to get in that locker room.
They have a chance to play another home game on Tuesday night before hitting the road as the Buffalo Sabres will be coming to Chicago. They aren’t the Sabres that have been one of the worst teams in the league for a long time so this game should be very interesting.
