See the Blackhawks get off to a slow start. See the Blackhawks get outshot. See the Blackhawks lean on their goaltending. See the Blackhawks find some offense in the third period. See the Blackhawks win.
This is a story the Blackhawks have written and played out plenty this season. Despite all evidence that it should work out to the contrary, the Blackhawks continue to pull out victories. But as we're well into the second half of the season, how much longer can they win with this formula? And is this, more than anything, a testament to how much they need to acquire someone (or plural) at the deadline to bolster their forward lineup?
Entering Sunday night's game against Vancouver the Blackhawks remain second in the Western Conference, two points behind Minnesota. Not surprisingly, they enter Sunday coming off another one-goal victory, a 1-0 decision over Boston on Friday night. Friday's game was cut from the same cloth as so many other one-goal games this season (please see above for the script).
Here's how the Blackhawks are doing in one-goal games (through 48 games played this season) and how they've done in previous seasons:
| Year | Record |
| 2016-17 | 18-7-5 |
| 2015-16 | 17-7-9 |
| 2014-15 | 22-13-6 |
| 2013-14 | 17-8-15 |
| 2012-13 | 19-3-5 (lockout yr.) |
| 2011-12 | 22-6-11 |
| 2010-11 | 16-13-9 |
| 2009-10 | 23-9-8 |
The Blackhawks played 41 one-goal games (half of their regular-season games) in the 2014-15 season. Thirty of their 48 games this season have been one-goal games. But again, it comes down to how you're winning those games, and the Blackhawks are winning just about all of them in the same way: deal with a slow start and come back in the third period, relying on goaltending the entire time.
Being outshot the amount of times the Blackhawks have this season remains alarming. Sure, sometimes a lot of shots don't mean a lot of quality chances. But it's still better than minimal shots, and any shot can be an opportunity for a rebound, a deflection, something. From our stats guru Chris Kamka, here's a breakdown of the Blackhawks' shots per game vs. opponents, dating back to 2008-09:
NHL
| Year | Shots/Gm | Opp. Shots/Gm | Diff. |
| 2008-09 | 32.7 | 28.6 | +4.2 |
| 2009-10 | 34.1 | 25.1 | +9.1 |
| 2010-11 | 32.2 | 28.7 | +3.6 |
| 2011-12 | 31.5 | 28.6 | +3.0 |
| 2012-13 | 31.1 | 26.2 | +4.9 |
| 2013-14 | 33.1 | 27.2 | +6.0 |
| 2014-15 | 33.9 | 30.2 | +3.8 |
| 2015-16 | 30.5 | 30.8 | -0.3 |
| 2016-17 | 29.3 | 31.1 | -1.7 |
[SHOP: Gear up, Blackhawks fans!]
It's no surprise that the Blackhawks' differential was especially good in their Stanley Cup-winning seasons (and even 2013-14, when they went to the Western Conference Final). Those Blackhawks teams were deep, especially at forward. They weren't waiting for the perfect shooting opportunities as much as just firing. They had great four-line rotations, something they've sorely been lacking the past two seasons, which makes a difference with puck possession.
The Blackhawks will see what's available at the trade deadline. As I wrote a few days ago, there will be names out there but, considering some teams are still hoping for playoff spots, you take mentions for what they are right now. Over the next few weeks the picture will become clearer, and adding the right depth could rekindle that four-line rotation.
We've said throughout this season that the Blackhawks can't keep this up. We said it in November, and December, and now. Understand where we're coming from here; the Blackhawks can absolutely keep winning one-goal games. They've shown that in recent seasons and in the postseason, when the ability to do that is critical. But it's doubtful they can keep doing it the way they have most this season.