Chicago Blackhawks October Review: Offense
By Sean Sarcu
@seansarcu
Getty Images
One of the more surprising stories in the NHL early this season has been the Chicago Blackhawks‘ oddly pedestrian offense. Chicago ranks 18th in the league in goals per game, sitting at a decidedly mediocre 2.5. Concerns abound in the Windy City, where fans have been spoiled by an offense that finished in the top-fifth in goals per contest for six consecutive seasons prior to 2014-15.
There is evidence that these concerns are misplaced. The 6-3-1 Blackhawks have played just 10 games — not even an eighth of the season — which presents some glaring sample size issues. It would be concerning if Chicago wasn’t generating offensive chances, but the numbers indicate that that’s not the case. The team ranks second in the league in corsi for percentage, suggesting consistent puck and tempo control. Chicago’s team-wide shooting percentage at 5-on-5 is a comically low 5.26%, an absurd number that would have ranked dead last in the NHL in 2013-14 behind even the Buffalo Sabres.
Goalies have been playing incredibly (read: unsustainably) well against the Blackhawks at even strength. It’s fair to wonder if the Blackhawks have been a bit too perimeter-heavy, but the shooting percentage number is inordinately low to a degree that belies any serious “it’s completely the shooters’ fault” theory. The goals will come, and that can easily mean the difference between 6-3-1 (with four one-goal losses) and 9-1 or 10-0. A team boasting the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Brandon Saad and Duncan Keith isn’t going to have any genuine issues putting up numbers in the long run.
Sean Sarcu is a Chicago Blackhawks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.
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