April 09--The Blackhawks' road will lead to the playoffs. That much is certain thanks to the "X" next to their name in the NHL standings.
What is uncertain going into the final two games of the regular season -- both of which happen to be on the road -- is where that road will lead.
The Blackhawks could finish as high as first in the Central Division, or as low as fourth, in a wild-card spot. Their fate will be determined Thursday night in St. Louis and Saturday in Colorado, among other places.
Still, the Blackhawks insist they won't let the points race become a fatal distraction.
"No. I just check the standings," captain Jonathan Toews said of becoming tangled in all the possible scenarios. "That's about it."
A non-shootout victory Thursday over the Blues would give the Hawks 104 points and 40 regulation-plus-overtime wins (ROW) but leave it a point behind the now-first-place Blues, who wrap up the regular season at home against the Wild. A shootout victory would leave the Hawks two points behind. That doesn't even take into account the second-place Predators, who have 104 points, 41 ROW and one home game and one road game remaining. They are host to the Wild (98 points) Thursday and visit the Stars on Saturday.
The Blackhawks' 2-1 loss to the fourth-place Wild on Tuesday was their second in a row.
Two more losses could mean a wild-card designation.
"You want to have good habits and good hockey going into the playoffs," said Bryan Bickell, who scored the Hawks' lone goal against the Wild. "You don't want to go in on a little losing streak like these two games that we are on right now. We need to bounce back in St. Louis and we can catch them again."
The congestion isn't limited to the Central Division. According to the NHL, entering Wednesday, with all but two teams having played 80 games, the Rangers (Eastern Conference) and the Ducks (Western Conference) are the only teams who have claimed playoff bracket spots. Everybody else is jockeying for their slot.
"You're playing against teams that are in the same position. It's almost a sprint to the finish," Toews said. "And it is a good preparation and kind of a preview of playoff hockey."
The Blackhawks are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are looking to advance far enough for Patrick Kane's eventual return from the broken left collarbone he suffered Feb. 24.
He has been practicing with the team and took slap shots and one-timers during Tuesday morning's skate. The Wild's Jason Zucker, who had the same injury as Kane on Feb. 9, returned Tuesday and scored a goal.
First things first, though: the Blues, who beat the Blackhawks 2-1 Sunday.
"It's not a switch you flip on," Keith said of this time of year. "There are certain teams (against which) the game seems more physical, and that's one of them. We're going to have to be better than we were last game to beat them."
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville sure hopes so.
"Nothing has been sorted out," he said. "It's amazing how this has played out. There hasn't been any separation, hasn't been any clarity."
And there likely won't be until Saturday night.
pskrbina@tribpub.com
