There are certain statistics or streaks in sports that when you hear them out loud, they don’t sound real. Anything related to Wayne Gretzky, Wilt Chamberlin, the Harlem Globetrotters, they’re all in that field of “oh come on, that can’t be true.”
That’s what it felt like whenever you would hear about the Chicago Blackhawks and their franchise-record 22-game losing streak, which ended March 5 against the Arizona Coyotes with a 5-2 win. The victory was their first on the road since Nov. 9, when they won 5-3 over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Related: Careless Penalties Cost Coyotes Against Blackhawks
Blackhawks’ defenseman Seth Jones opened the scoring on the power play with only his second goal of the season, and Chicago would score three more goals with the man advantage, bumping their power play percentage from 12.7 percent to 14.5 percent. Jones would score the empty-netter at the end of the game to solidify the 5-2 win.
Blackhawks’ Arvid Soderblom Stole the Show
The real star of the night was goaltender Arvid Soderblom. Relegated to backup duty for most of the 2023-24 season, Soderblom had his own winless streak, as he had appeared in 14 consecutive games without recording a win, going 0-12-1 during that span with a .868 SV%.
But on March 6 in Arizona, Soderblom was on his game, stopping 37 of 39 shots and looking the most confident he’s looked the entire season. It’s only his fifth career win, and his record is now 5-30-3. It was clear he was relieved after the game.
“I feel like I’ve been close a couple times but we’ve f–ked it up, so it was nice to get it all the way this time,” Soderblom told reporters after the game.
Related: Chicago Blackhawks Mock Trade Deadline for 2024
Going into this current season, many, including myself, assumed that Soderblom would get some opportunities to take over as the starting netminder, with the expectation that Petr Mrazek would be traded elsewhere at some point. Credit to the 31-year-old Mrazek, whose 13-24-4 record may not stand out, but his .906 SV% and general calm in the crease have been one of the stabilizing points of this Blackhawks team.
But on March 5 in front of a sold-out crowd in Tempe, Ariz. (It may only be 4,600, but damn it it’s sold out!), it was Soderblom who stole the show. Beyond just breaking the team’s losing streak, I was happiest for him. That’s one of the biggest wins of the season, I’m glad it was Soderblom who led the way.
‘Oh My God, That Was A Long Time’
Forward Connor Bedard was drafted No. 1 overall by the Blackhawks less than a year ago, but the weight of the season with this much difficulty has weighed on him. In the post-game scrums, you could tell it was a relief.
“Oh my god, that was a long time,” Bedard said. “Obviously you try not to think about it much, but that was a pretty crazy stretch there. It’s nice that that’s over.”
Bedard recorded two assists against the Coyotes, giving him 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points in 49 games this season. He’s now nine points ahead of Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber in rookie scoring — in 13 fewer games.
Blackhawks’ head coach Luke Richardson called it a team win and that his group was “really focused.”
“We talked this morning about the direction we wanted to go these last 20 games and it’s only us that can change that,” Richardson said.
The Blackhawks are now 16-42-5 with 37 points, eighth in the Central Division, and tied for dead last with the San Jose Sharks in the entire league. There’s a chance they’ll have even better odds at obtaining the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft than they did last season.
Key Events in Hockey Since Nov. 9
Throughout a single season in professional sports, four months is a lifetime, and in this case, it’s no different. Want to know how long ago that was? Let’s refresh our memories…
• Forward Taylor Hall played two more games before injuring his knee and requiring season-ending knee surgery.
• Forward Corey Perry played a handful of games with the Blackhawks after Nov. 9 before taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons, then being placed on unconditional waivers on Nov. 28. He then signed with the Edmonton Oilers, and as of March 5, has played an equal amount of games with the Oilers as he did with the Blackhawks.
• The Nov. 9 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning was Andreas Athanasiou’s last game with the Blackhawks before injuring his groin and being sidelined for over 50 contests.
Related: Andreas Athanasiou’s Fit in the Blackhawks Lineup
• Seven NHL head coaches have been fired since the Blackhawks’ last road win: the Oilers’ Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, the Minnesota Wild’s Dean Evason on Nov. 27, the St. Louis Blues’ Craig Berube on Dec. 13, the Ottawa Senators’ D.J. Smith on Dec. 18, the New York Islanders’ Lane Lambert on Jan. 20, the L.A. Kings’ Todd McLellan on Feb. 2 and most recently, the New Jersey Devils’ Lindy Ruff on March 4.
• Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward Auston Matthews has recorded three hat tricks since then.
• A whole new professional hockey league, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), opened its inaugural season and is now past the midway point of the season.
