This year, the Chicago Blackhawks are going to be playing meaningful hockey far earlier than we anticipated.
Why October Matters
Elliotte Friedman, a reporter for Sportsnet and an NHL network insider, reported that of the 54 teams who have been 4+ points out of a playoff spot on November 1st since the 2005-06 season (just before the Kane and Toews era), only seven of these teams have made the playoffs.
That’s it.
In over a decade of hockey, only seven teams have been able to overcome a four-point hole that they were in after the first month of the season.