{"id":548269,"date":"2026-04-08T23:42:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T23:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/548269\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T23:42:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T23:42:37","slug":"the-blackhawks-week-that-was-and-will-be-4-8-you-play-to-win-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/548269\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blackhawks Week That Was and Will Be, 4\/8: You play to win the game"},"content":{"rendered":"

As more and more prospects have arrived at the NHL level over the last few seasons while more and more losses have piled up alongside them, there\u2019s been a thought lurking in the back of my mind that was summarized fairly well in this comment from SCH user Spknight appreciation association in the recap from last Thursday\u2019s loss to the Oilers<\/a>:<\/p>\n

You have to wonder a bit what all this losing is doing to the young core\u2019s culture. All the old leadership that left had at least some idea of what it was like to be on a winning team, but do these guys? What happens if the young guys that are supposed to invigorate the franchise just get used to losing?<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is too much of a Debbie downer of a take, but it\u2019s been on my mind lately. I\u2019m sure once they actually have a win on the board I\u2019ll brighten back up again<\/p>\n

Now, much of what is discussed at this site is often based on specific data because those figures can provide more objective analysis than our own eyes and minds will because of our decidedly subjective feelings towards this team. But this is where I find it worthwhile to stray away from numbers and explore matters more abstract because it is another significant piece of this puzzle even if it\u2019s hard to define or calculate. <\/p>\n

When it comes to sports, though, I\u2019ve developed the following general philosophy: losing only begets more losing. I don\u2019t believe teams can lose their way into long-term success. Even if there\u2019s a season-long tank to land a specific player atop the following year\u2019s draft, most sports but especially this one require so many more pieces than just one standout to assemble a championship-worthy team \u2014 just ask Connor McDavid! This isn\u2019t to suggest that the Hawks shouldn\u2019t have embarked on this path altogether, but the frustrations here stem from this team\u2019s continued spot at or near the bottom of the league standings without any apparent urgency to move away from that dungeon. The Hawks weren\u2019t only the team that tanked in an attempt to get Bedard in the 2022-23 season, yet the Hawks are the only team of the bottom seven that isn\u2019t in playoff conention this season. In 2023-24, the Hawks were 31st in the league with the four teams above them being, in order: Utah, Montreal, Columbus and Anaheim. Guess what the Hawks don\u2019t have in common with them right now? <\/p>\n

The organization will say that\u2019s the price to pay in the present for a long-term path toward sustained success in the years ahead, but it\u2019s so hard to envision that coming to fruition when precious little is happening in the present. We can point to some individual success stories right now, of course: Connor Bedard took a massive step forward this season, as did Spencer Knight in net. We could even throw prgoress for Frank Nazar and Wyatt Kaiser in there as well. And where did that get the Hawks? The same place in the standings. Next season could see further development from that quartet and perhaps more from guys like Antwaan Frondell El (iykyk) and Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel and Nick Lardis alongside newcomers like Roman Kantserov and whomever the Hawks draft this summer. But is that going to be enough to get things going forward finally? Are you sure?<\/p>\n

This all just feels painfully stagnant, and no one within the organization seems all that bothered by it. Meanwhile, the only thing the kids on this team are learning to do is lose, and the overwhelming majority of the veterans who were supposed to instill that mythological winning culture in the locker room are now gone. We\u2019ve seen individual progress, yet that hasn\u2019t led to collective success. How many more steps forward can these kids take before we start seeing a team that isn\u2019t at or near the bottom in both the league standings and all of the underlying numbers associated with quality play? <\/p>\n

I realize that this is a slightly different angle on what\u2019s largely the same take that opened this space last week. But it\u2019s hard to find much of anything else to say about this team when we\u2019ve reached yet another April with playoff pictures starting to take shape and the Blackhawks miles away from that frame. <\/p>\n

The Week That Was<\/p>\n

Thursday, April 2: Oilers 3, Blackhawks 1<\/a><\/p>\n

Watched Edmonton on Tuesday night against Utah and don\u2019t see how its goaltending is going to hold up once the postseason begins while the McDavid clock seems to keep moving closer to midnight. <\/p>\n

Saturday, April 4: Blackhawks 4, Kraken 2<\/a><\/p>\n

Anyone who can prove they watched this game should be awarded with a free ticket to a Hawks home game next season. <\/p>\n

Monday, April 6: Sharks 3, Blackhawks 2<\/a><\/p>\n

I understand the connection people are making, but it seems like there\u2019s been a rush to anoint this as a future rivalry without anything that\u2019s actually happened on the ice to suggest as much. <\/p>\n

The Abolition of Man<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get to something positive. If it hasn\u2019t been mentioned here already, my favorite hockey archetype is the offensively gifted defenseman, because I find it especially satisfying when an attack originates from the blue line with all of the speed and skill as the players who are supposed to be the primary offensive contributors. That\u2019s why I was a huge fan of Bryan Berard \u2014 shut up \u2014 as a kid, of Bryan Campbell during his stint here and of Kevin Korchinski now. The latter has had his struggles since joining the Hawks organization which are well-document but we\u2019ve seen some signs over the last few weeks that things might be turning around for the 2022 No. 7 overall pick. <\/p>\n

LBR will probably swing by the comments to yell at me for using small sample sizes in this discussion but let\u2019s go with it anyway! In the Hawks\u2019 last five games, here\u2019s where Korchinski ranks in some key categories among the six Hawks blue-liners in 66:30 of 5-on-5 ice time:<\/p>\n

Team-high shot attempt share of 49.53 percent<\/p>\n

Team-high expected goal share of 57.84 percent<\/p>\n

Team-high high-danger chance share of 56.25 percent<\/p>\n

Team-high scoring chance share of 48.98 percent<\/p>\n

He\u2019s done all that while starting in the offensive zone just 43.90 percent of the time, which is only the third highest rate on the team (Rinzel at 52.73 and Kaiser at 53.13 are above him). <\/p>\n

There are plenty of clips detailing Korchinski making smart, sound plays in all portions of the ice:<\/p>\n

Kevin Korchinski using his speed to make a good defensive play, then settling things down with a clean pass: pic.twitter.com\/OZPksnnjEH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ben Pope\u2019s Video Clips (@BenPopeCSTclips) April 7, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

Another strong game for Kevin Korchinski tonight. He logged a season-high 15:38: pic.twitter.com\/GzxL6A5K8J<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) April 7, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

And he also flashed that offensive talent when he took this pass into his skates and turned it into a primary assist on Sacha Boisvert\u2019s first career NHL goal:<\/p>\n

BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOAL
BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOAL
BOISVERT FIRST NHL GOOOOOOOOOOOAL pic.twitter.com\/UPHSwz3JUi<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 5, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

There will be plenty of discussion about whether or not Korchinski has turned a corner in his development, and they\u2019re all wildly premature, because we\u2019ll need to see him do this again at the start of next season to have more confidence that it\u2019s going to be something sustainable. <\/p>\n

But there are undeniably positive signs emerging from the last handful of games, with time left to add some more before this season concludes \u2014 and that\u2019s more than we had with Korchinski at this time last year. <\/p>\n

The Week That Will Be<\/p>\n

Thursday, April 9: Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes<\/p>\n

The last game between these two teams was pretty ornery, so we\u2019ll see if those feelings linger a few months later. <\/p>\n

Saturday, April 11: Blackhawks vs. Blues<\/p>\n

Might as well beat these guys again before the season ends.<\/p>\n

Monday, April 13: Blackhawks vs. Sabres<\/p>\n

Extremely excited to see \u2014 and hear \u2014 what the atmosphere will be like in Buffalo for that first home playoff game in 15 years coming later this month.<\/p>\n

\t