The Blackhawks are having problems defensively. What was kind of expected has turned out to be a bigger problem than accounted for, especially after Stan Bowman took measures in the offseason to trade for defensemen who might help this team.
Nearly 20 games into the season, the Blackhawks have the second-worst expected goals against per 60 mark of any team at even strength. Their 2.85 mark is better than only the New York Rangers, who are having problems. The good news is the Blackhawks 2.46 xGF/60 is in the top 10.
So what’s going wrong?