Breaking down 13 interesting stats from the Blackhawks' 2024-25 season

The Blackhawks’ 2024-25 season is now in the books, and just like the last few, it wasn't flattering.

There are, however, some positives to be found. Here's a breakdown of 13 interesting stats that appropriately sum up the season:

Donato’s outburst

Ryan Donato finished with a team-leading 31 goals, the most by any Hawk since Alex DeBrincat buried 41 in 2021-22. Donato nearly doubled his previous career high of 15.

Nazar’s surge

Frank Nazar caught fire in April, tallying nine points (including five goals) in the Hawks' last eight games. And over their last 13 games, he generated 44 individual scoring chances — 11 more than anyone else.

Bedard’s draws

Through Jan. 26, Connor Bedard had won a woeful 32.0% of his faceoffs, which ranked last in the NHL. After then, however, he won a far more respectable 47.1%.

Bedard also tallied 15 points in his last 15 games (and seven points in his last four) to finish with 67 on the season.

Mikheyev’s consistency

The Hawks were only outscored 51-47 during Ilya Mikheyev's five-on-five ice time this season, the closest-to-even ratio of any regular forward. Mikheyev was quietly reliable, hitting the 20-goal mark for the second time in his career.

Brodie’s exclusion

T.J. Brodie was a healthy scratch for the Hawks' last 22 consecutive games, making his final appearance on March 1. The aging defenseman technically has another year left under contract, but he'll likely be bought out this summer.

Teravainen’s thermometer

In the Hawks' 25 wins, Teuvo Teravainen racked up 34 points. In their 57 losses, he recorded only 24 points. Almost every Hawk was inherently more productive in wins than in losses, but Teravainen's split was particularly dramatic.

Knight’s heroics

Spencer Knight led all regular NHL goalies with an .859 save percentage against high-danger shots. Although much of that sample came with the Panthers, the data matches the eye test: his recovery ability, lateral explosiveness and quick reflexes are elite.

However, Knight was prone to allowing soft goals. His .912 save percentage against medium- and low-danger shots ranked 55th out of 62 goalies.

Special success

The Hawks ranked eighth in power-play conversion rate (24.9%) and 13th in penalty-kill rate (79.3%). Remarkably, it's the first time they've finished in the top half of the league in both special-teams categories since 1994-95. They never did so during the 2010s dynasty era.

Vulnerable leads

If games were only 20 minutes long, the Hawks would've been fine. They led at the first intermission in 28 games, just one fewer than they trailed at that juncture. But their 11-11-6 record in those 28 games was by far the league's worst.

Close woes

The Hawks also posted the league's worst record in games decided by one goal: 7-9-11. They went 3-7 in games that ended in overtime, as well as 2-4 in shootouts. Their close-game luck — or their killer instinct, depending on one's perspective — was awful.

When excluding empty-net goals for and against (they were mostly against), the Hawks won only 11 of 45 games unofficially decided by one goal, which is ridiculous.

Quick crumbles

Another problem for the Hawks: quick bursts of goals against. They allowed multiple goals in a 60-second span on 16 occasions this season, tied for second-most in the league.

Shot deficit

Despite all of the above, there's no denying the fact the Hawks were simply outplayed by their opposition most nights — often by considerable amounts. They were cumulatively outshot by 548, by far the largest differential in the league.

One exception

The Hawks lost at least once to 30 of the 31 other teams in the league, sweeping their season series against the Canadiens only. They narrowly avoided becoming the first NHL team since 1992-93 to lose to everyone else.