The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the NHL this season. They are going to have the second-best odds of winning the Draft Lottery during the playoffs. Only the San Jose Sharks were worse this year.
Despite this terrible play by a bad team, Petr Mrazek has been sensational in the goal for Chicago. He was so good that they decided to extend him so he could help them through the rebuild. He wasn’t as good in his first year (2022-23) but he is acclimated to playing for this team now and it is showing with his play on the ice.
Mrazek Been Major Bright Spot for Blackhawks
On Tuesday night, the Blackhawks had a tough game against the Vegas Golden Knights. They lost 3-1 at T-Mobile Arena but they fought hard against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Mrazek kept the Hawks in the game as he allowed just two goals on 36 shots (.944 save percentage). If they were able to score more than once, they might have won the game.
Mrazek is now 18-31-4. That is a bad record but he has a 3.05 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage which are amazing numbers. To say he’s been good would be an understatement because the team in front of him is truly terrible. If he were on any other team playing this way, his numbers would be even better.
If we are being honest with ourselves, this is great for the Blackhawks. If he is good again next season, there is a chance that this team could compete for a Wild Card in the Western Conference if general manager Kyle Davidson improves the team with some more goal scorers.
This isn’t to say that they are a playoff lock or anything like that but you assume that the roster will be better. If that is the case, and Mrazek plays this well, they will be much harder to beat. That might take them to “bubble-team” status which would be good enough for them as they continue to develop young talent.
We’ve seen goaltending make or break teams across the NHL. For a young team learning to win like the Blackhawks, it is even more important to make sure that they feel confident in the man between the pipes. If the younger players trust a guy like Mrazek, they are more free to play their game.
That could lead to more winning because of how talented these kids are. With the way Mrazek stopped pucks at a high rate this year, it is exciting to think about what might be in the future with him and this club. Goaltending is everything.
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