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Injuries may derail the Chicago Blackhawks in the playoffs
The Chicago Blackhawks hope injured goalie Corey Crawford is at full strength for the postseason. Bill Smith/Getty Images

Injuries may derail the Chicago Blackhawks in the playoffs

For the team that was so far ahead of the pack at the midway part of the season, the Chicago Blackhawks are certainly making their final stretch of the regular season a nail-biting endeavor. It hasn’t come without its bumps and bruises either.

The defending Stanley Cup champs have been bitten by the injury bug more than once in the last leg of their 2015-16 campaign. Sure, they dealt with sidelined players during last year’s playoffs and lost four of their last six in regular-season play before making their most recent playoff run. But the lack of multiple key pieces at the end of this year is still alarming. Even with a recent string of wins, notches in the "L" column against Central Division foes — at a level of play Chicago will see in the postseason — still have some worried.

Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago wrote that the “Blackhawks have usually done well when they’ve had to band together in the wake of injuries.” And it isn’t like they’re the only team dealing with holes in the lineup. Other squads in the hunt are overcoming injury in their quest for the Cup. But with so many bodies missing, there is wonder as to whether Chicago can repeat last season’s success in its return to postseason play.

Think back to where this team was in January. It notched a franchise-record 12 straight wins. Starting netminder Corey Crawford was leading the charge with a campaign worthy of an All-Star bid — and later big talk about his All-Star snub — and the core was clicking. Fast-forward just a bit to the trade deadline in which Chicago beefed up its offense with Andrew Ladd, turning the Blackhawks into what was arguably the most intimidating product in the league.

Now, Crawford is fighting to be game-ready in time for the playoffs. Marian Hossa is missing time for a left leg injury — something he dealt with earlier in the season. Andrew Shaw has been listed as “day-to-day” and is “unlikely to play again before the postseason” per Myers. And Artem Anisimov, who was also sidelined earlier in the season, was taken out in the Hawks’ 6-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.

Add to that the current absence of Duncan Keith due to suspension and you have a Chicago roster trying to pick up slack for its missing parts, in addition to not being the competitive force we’re used to seeing.

This isn’t to say that Chicago’s offense is struggling to put the puck in the back of the net. The offense ranks fifth in the league with 229 goals on the season. Patrick Kane still leads the league with 102 points, even with his 26-game points streak a couple months in the rearview mirror. Fellow forward Artemi Panarin continues his Calder-worthy campaign, leading NHLers as of April 5 with 10 points in a five-game, 10-day span. Captain Jonathan Toews just started heating up, registering points in five consecutive games. And Chicago’s power play is still ranked second overall in the league.

There is still the question, however, if all that is enough to overcome the holes on the defensive side of things as playoff hockey gets underway. USA Today hockey editor Jimmy Hascup explained:

The Blackhawks are top heavy, and don’t possess the same depth they’ve had in previous seasons. Their offense is led by three players — Kane, Toews and Panarin — and their defense is basically three players — Keith, (Brent) Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson. The lack of balance has contributed to a team that has seen its overall game slip; in fact, according to war-on-ice.com, a 51% possession season would be their worst since 2007-08 when they didn’t advance to the playoffs.

Of course, if Crawford comes back from this stint on the sidelines and quickly regains midseason form, the past few weeks without him could be nothing but a bad dream for the Blackhawks. And perhaps the rest of the injured forwards come back healthy and notch enough goals to make up for mishaps in Chicago’s zone.

But how much longer the Blackhawks can withstand so many injuries — and how they can hinder them in the upcoming playoff race — is still a means for concern.

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