The Chicago Blackhawks have done a lot of remarkable things over the last decade or so, but on Friday night they managed to achieve a feat that they’ve only achieved one other time in their long and illustrious history.
That feat was achieved by virtue of the team’s 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center. The win not only gave the Blackhawks a nine-point lead in the Central Division race with only four games left to play, but it also gave them 50 victories in total on the campaign.
That is remarkable, because the Blackhawks have only done that one other time since the schedule expanded to 82 games, and the only other year that they’ve done it holds special significance to fans.
That’s because the last time the Blackhawks won 50 or more games in a season was during the 2009-10 campaign, when they romped through the Western Conference and ultimately won the Stanley Cup championship in six games over the Philadelphia Flyers.
In order to beat the franchise record for wins in a season, the Blackhawks will need to win three of their final four games, as they ended up with 52 victories during that championship season.
If the Blackhawks are able to do that, then they would be setting another team record as well. As things stand right now, the Blackhawks have tied a team record with 24 road victories in a single season, and if they win any of their final three road games (in Colorado, Anaheim, and Los Angeles), then they’ll set a new team record in that category as well.
The Blackhawks will next be in action on Sunday morning when they welcome the Boston Bruins to the United Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., and the game will be televised on NBC.
