Feb. 09--The Blackhawks did not have the best record in the Western Conference at the end of the last regular season. They did not win the Central Division, coming in third place. They had home-ice advantage for only one of their four playoff series.
And they won the Stanley Cup.
When Patrick Kane broke his left collarbone last February, the Hawks were in scramble mode for the rest of the season. Their main concern was getting into the playoffs and hoping Kane could return when they got there. They weren't as concerned with home ice or winning the division.
Based on their playoff run, the Hawks have proof that home ice is not an essential ingredient to a Stanley Cup championship. It can help get you there, like a strong tailwind, but it's not vital.
The Hawks find themselves in a much different position this season. They have the most points in the Western Conference, and while they trail the Capitals by four points in the race for the Presidents' Trophy, they can make a push to earn home ice throughout the West playoffs. They are up five points on the second-place Stars, who have played three fewer games, and 11 points on the Kings, who lead the Pacific and have played five fewer games.
But don't expect the Hawks to overextend themselves to pile up regular-season points.
"It's very tough to make it to the playoffs," Kane said. "That was our goal coming into the season, just to try to come off to a good start, put ourselves in position where we're not fighting life or death the last 10, 15, 20 games of the season. We have probably done that."
The Hawks had their struggles on the road, especially earlier this season, but have turned them around in January and early February. They have a 15-11-3 road record that includes wins in their last three games.
"If we're in the situation comparable to this one, you want to stay on top. There's nothing wrong with that," captain Jonathan Toews said. "You don't want to get to the point where you're feeling comfortable and a little bit overconfident going into the postseason.
"But it doesn't hurt to win games early and not have to be in that mess of teams that are basically playing playoff hockey the last 20, maybe 15 games in the regular season."
In other words, the Hawks don't want to play playoff hockey until they have to play playoff hockey.
There could be value in winning the division in terms of not only home ice, but also whom the Hawks might face in the first round.
In the last few weeks, the Stars, Hawks and Blues have separated from the rest of the Central. Under the NHL's divisional playoff rules, the second- and third-place teams in each division square off in the first round while the division winner plays one of two wild-card teams.
Winning the division would allow the Hawks to play an inferior opponent in the first round while allowing the Stars and Blues to slug each other until one is done. But that's conjecture the Hawks are not thinking about with 26 regular-season games left.
"We're confident we're going to do the right things that time of year," Toews said. "And it doesn't really matter as long as we're able to earn a playoff spot."
chine@tribpub.com
