In their final game of the year on Thursday at the United Center, the Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 in overtime.
Ten observations as we conclude the 2022–23 season are as follows:
The Blackhawks had a 26-49-7 record and 59 points at the end of the season. Since the 2003–04 club had 59 points in 82 games, they haven't had fewer than these points in a season.
With Anaheim securing the 32nd slot in the NHL rankings, Columbus and Chicago are now vying for the 31st position. On Friday, all eyes will be on the Blue Jackets. The Blackhawks will own the second-best lottery odds if they score at least one point. The Blackhawks will have the third-best chances if they fail to do so.
After Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in the morning that he wouldn't be re-signed, Jonathan Toews participated in his final game with the team. He also appropriately scored, raising all 20,219 spectators to their feet, and was able to offer the crowd several standing ovations after the game. I'm happy he had that experience. It was due to him.
In general, I considered Luke Richardson's first season as head coach to be a success. Despite their record, the Blackhawks were competitive in much more games than I had anticipated. He was a good pick who established a solid base for Year 2 with his hiring.
Two more than the previous year, the Blackhawks had eight players with at least ten goals: Taylor Raddysh (20), Andreas Athanasiou (20), Max Domi (18), Patrick Kane (16), Jonathan Toews (15), Tyler Johnson (12), Seth Jones (12), and Sam Lafferty (10). Jason Dickinson and Philipp Kurashev both ended with nine while coming close.
The Blackhawks' final team save percentage of.892 placed them 22nd overall. Their.892 save percentage from the previous season ranked them 28th. the same saving percentage.
The Blackhawks' power-play % (16.4) and penalty-kill percentage (76.2) rankings were 28th and 22nd, respectively. The penalty kill was on a major roll at points. Having an aggressive attitude really paid off.
After the trade deadline, Lukas Reichel spent the longest period of time with the Blackhawks, demonstrating some significant progress. For want of a better word, I don't believe General Manager Kyle Davidson views the upcoming season as another "tank" chance, particularly if they secure a Top 2 pick. I anticipate that he will surround younger players like Reichel with a better supporting group.
Is it just me, or did this season fly by? We were speculating about whether Patrick Kane and/or Jonathan Toews would be playing in their final seasons with the Blackhawks when training camp felt like it had just begun. The idea that none of them will attend camp the next year is absurd.
Every season, I look forward to compiling my list of ten observations. It provides me the finest opportunity to summarize everything that had place throughout a game. As usual, thanks for reading!
