The National Hockey League (NHL) is the most well renowned and popular hockey league around the world. People from all over the world tune in during the season to watch their favorite teams from across the US and Canada compete in their respective divisions and conferences to make the playoffs for a chance to win the Stanley Cup. The holy grail of the NHL.

One team who has been to more Stanley Cup finals than most, with the fifth most appearances there, are the Chicago Blackhawks. They’ve reached the final 13 times, racking up an impressive 16 Division Championships, two Presidents’ Trophies and four Conference Championships along the way. Sadly, their success in Stanley Cup finals hasn’t been as impressive. Whilst they have amounted to six altogether, they’ve actually lost more finals than they’ve won, missing out on silverware a whopping seven times.

Their most recent victory in the Stanley Cup came in the 2014-15 NHL season. The Blackhawks managed to earn their way to the final having an impressive season that saw them crowned Western Conference champions. Going on to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 in the final series, to add a sixth Stanley Cup to their collection, and their third in six seasons.

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However, after that period of dominance, they’ve been on a bit of a downward slope since. And this season they find themselves second from bottom of the Central Division after 30 games, with a record of 11 wins, 15 losses, and four overtime losses. There are a number of reasons for their slippery slope. Roster changes, changes in coaching staff, a difficult period due to COVID-19. However, we’re not here today to play the blame game or discuss fascinating facts about the Blackhawks.

Today, we’re here to look at how they cope when facing teams from the Northeastern quarter of the United States. There are nine teams in total that we’re looking at today; the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. And what better way to do it, than in alphabetical order:

Boston Bruins

In the two franchises’ histories, they have faced each other a whopping 592 times. Sadly, the Bruins come out on top slightly, with the Blackhawks managing 244 wins to the Bruins 266. However, back when ties were a thing, there were a lot of close contests, with 79 ending in a tie. And since that has been revamped, and replaced with overtime losses, they’ve only had three in all the times they’ve met since 1983.

Detroit Red Wings

The Blackhawks have never played a side more times than the Detroit Red Wings, who have faced-off on the ice a staggering 748 times. Again, the Blackhawks came worse off, only managing 292 wins to the Red Wings’ 361, as well as 84 ties and 11 overtime losses. Despite the losses though, and probably due to the fact they have played them more than any other team, the Blackhawks have scored more goals against the Red Wings than anyone else, racking up a whopping 2,073. Sadly, they have let in more at 2,314, hence the record they hold.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blackhawks have met the Blue Jackets on much fewer occasions than the previous two Northeastern US teams, and for once they came out on top. In 95 meetings between the two franchises, the Blackhawks have won more than half their games with 57 wins, compared to the Blue Jackets’ mesley 29. They have only ever tied twice, and have recorded seven overtime losses. But the main thing to remember Blackhawks fans, is you have more W’s!

New Jersey Devils

Another team where the Blackhawks have seen more success than their opponents is the New Jersey Devils,who they have faced-off against 116 times over the years. In that time, the Blackhawks have racked up 51 wins, 40 losses, 21 ties and 2 overtime losses. Not a bad record at all really.

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New York Islanders and New York Rangers

It appears New York is a place the Blackhawks love to come, not because sports betting in New York is now legal, but because they have a better win record than any team in the state. Which to us means if you find the Blackhawks facing the New York Islanders, or their city rivals the New York Rangers, then the Blackhawks statistically are the team to back. And you’ll see why now.

In 117 games against the Islanders, the Blackhawks have managed an impressive 53 wins compared to the Islanders’ 41, with just 20 ties and three overtime losses. And against the Rangers, who the Blackhawks have played 594 times, they’ve amassed 251 wins to only 242 losses, 98 ties and 3 overtime losses. Meaning against both sides, even if you add the overtime losses to the actual losses, the Blackhawks have still managed more wins than both.

Philadelphia Flyers

Sadly, when the Blackhawks play the Philadelphia Flyers, they don’t have the same luck as they do against teams from New York. Instead, they have only recorded 47 wins in 142 games, compared to the Flyers’ 64, with 30 ties and one overtime loss during those games.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Fortunately, not all cities that begin with P bring bad luck for the Blackhawks, as they have an impressive record against the Pittsburgh Penguins throughout the 140 games where they’ve met. They’ve managed to win more than half with 77 victories, and only recorded 43 losses, with 17 ties and three overtime losses. But the games may be closer than you realise, having only managed to score 501 goals across the 140 games, whilst conceding 415, leading to 174 points during all that time.

Final Words

They have a mixed record against some of the teams in the Northeastern region of the US, winning more than some, and losing more than others. But with the way that the conferences and divisions are split now, they don’t play as much as they once used to. But in terms of the Red Wings, that’s probably a good thing, considering how many more games they’ve lost than won.