On March 1st, the Chicago Blackhawks were sitting 5 points behind the Minnesota Wild in the race for Central Division. Fast forward to April 1st, and the Blackhawks now own a 9-point lead over the Wild and with the Wild loss this afternoon, the Hawks have clinched the Central Division championship for the 16th time in franchise history and the first time since the lockout-shortened 2013 season.
The Blackhawks were fortunate enough to not only play well for the month of March, posting an 11-3-2 record, but they greatly benefitted from the Minnesota Wild’s brutal stretch of hockey that has earned them a 4-11-2 record since the beginning of March.