Blackhawks squarely in midst of fight for playoff spot

By Bud L. Ellis

When the Chicago Blackhawks started to dismantle their roster shortly after winning the Stanley Cup last June, many expected the franchise to struggle throughout 2010-11.

But with the days before this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs dwindling, here are the Blackhawks, squarely in a wild fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Chicago started Tuesday tied with Nashville for sixth place in the wild, wild West, just one point ahead of a three-way logjam for eighth, ninth and 10th places. Anaheim, Dallas and Calgary are tied with 85 points, and whoever finishes ninth or lower won’t be playing in mid-April.

The Blackhawks are 6-2-2 in their past 10 games, a strong showing in a very critical time of the season. Chicago trails fifth-place Los Angeles by just two points with 10 games left in the regular season.

Chicago begins the final sprint to what it hopes will be a chance to defend its title Wednesday at home against Florida. The Blackhawks beat Phoenix 2-1 on Sunday, wrapping up a tough stretch of six road games in seven contests.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 8:29 pm by bud

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