The Blackhawks were expected to be terrible this season. Halfway through it, they have proven to be exactly that.
After hitting the 41-game midpoint with a fittingly lopsided loss Saturday against the Kraken, the Hawks are not only last in the overall NHL standings — their 26 points barely trail the Blue Jackets (27 points), Ducks (28) and Coyotes (31) — but also in many specific categories.
Their 52-point pace would tie the 2013-14 Sabres as the second-worst team in a full season during the salary-cap era, exceeding only the 2016-17 Avalanche (48 points).
Here’s a breakdown of the Hawks’ team statistics at the halfway mark:
Even strength
For the second consecutive season, the Hawks rank 32nd in goals per 60 minutes at the season’s midpoint.
But their rate of 1.68 is much worse than last season, when they sat at 2.04 at this point. Only the Ducks (1.82) are also below 2.00 right now. Elsewhere around the league, the Avalanche (2.11) are shockingly 29th while the Kraken (3.40) and Devils (3.10) are shockingly first and second, respectively.
Even for a team built to lose, the fact the Hawks also rank last in every major even-strength offensive metric is rather remarkable. Indeed, they’re 32nd in per-60 rates of shot attempts (45.8), shots on goal (24.6), scoring chances (21.5) and expected goals (1.99). The Coyotes are 31st in all four metrics.
Defensively, the Hawks aren’t quite as atrocious, but they’re still bad. They have allowed 3.15 goals per 60 minutes, ranking 29th — ahead of the Ducks, Blue Jackets and Sharks. They’re one of five teams allowing more than 3.00, with the Canucks being the other. The Bruins have the league’s stoutest defense, allowing just 1.81 goals per 60.
The Ducks rank 32nd in all four major defensive metrics, but the Hawks still consistently fall in the bottom five. They rank 30th in per-60 rates of shot attempts allowed (62.0), 30th in shots on goal allowed (33.1), 31st in scoring chances allowed (32.0) and 28th in expected goals allowed (2.84). Surprisingly, the Predators are worse than the Hawks in two of those four metrics.
Combining offensive and defensive performance, the Hawks rank 32nd with a 40.2% overall scoring-chance ratio, putting them on track for their fifth consecutive season in the bottom five.
Special teams
The Hawks’ power play ranks 25th with a 15.8% net conversion rate. They were mired in a rough 5-for-51 stretch in which they had conceded four short-handed goals before finally enjoying a 2-for-2 game Saturday.
Their advanced PP metrics are similar. Per 60 minutes, they rank 26th in shot attempts, 22nd in shots on goal, 30th in scoring chances and 27th in expected goals — while also allowing the most expected goals to opposing penalty kills. Focusing on scoring chances specifically, only the Flyers and Kraken are worse, while the Rangers, Stars and Oilers lead the league.
The Hawks’ penalty kill might be the best part of the team, but that’s relative. They’re 23rd with a 77.2% net kill rate, and their metrics are even more respectable. They’re 13th in shot attempts allowed, 23rd in shots on goal allowed, 16th in scoring chances allowed and 17th in expected goals allowed.
Their cumulative “special teams score” (adding the PP and PK rates together) is 93.0, which ranks 27th.
Goaltending
The Hawks’ goaltending unit hasn’t been their biggest weakness, but it hasn’t been good either, largely because of Petr Mrazek’s struggles.
Collectively, the Hawks’ .889 team save percentage ranks 26th, minus-14.0 GSAA (goals saved above average) also ranks 26th and .796 high-danger save percentage ranks 25th. Hawks goalies spit out the ninth-most rebounds.
The Bruins (.926 team save percentage), Jets (.916) and Stars (.915) have received the best goaltending; the Sharks (.878), Canucks (.878) and Kings (.882) the worst. The NHL’s .905 overall save percentage this year is its lowest since 2006-07.
