The Blackhawks won a postseason series for the first time in five years by defeating the Oilers in four games in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
But then Chicago faced the top-seeded Golden Knights, who ended the Blackhawks’ playoff run before it could really get started with a five-game exit in the first round.
For the Blackhawks to be eliminated so quickly a lot had to go wrong and did. While Chicago advancing against the Oilers proved what they can do right — namely the first line and an excellent penalty kill — the series against Vegas showed what they need to improve upon.