Dietz: Upon further review, Hawks not that far away

“Don't worry. The Hawks will blow this.”

That was the text I sent to a friend as the Blackhawks were clinging to a 2-1 lead Thursday at Minnesota. He'd placed a small wager on the Wild and I wanted to set his mind at ease.

Of course, what happened? The Hawks actually hung on and won. They'd blown so many late leads this season I figured another meltdown was surely coming, especially against a Wild squad that was 18-0-1 vs. Chicago since Feb. 4, 2020.

It was a nice victory against a legit Stanley Cup contender.

It's beginning to feel like the Hawks aren't far away from becoming a serious playoff contender. Let's take a look at a few reasons why, starting with their results against some top opponents:

• First, the Hawks earned 5 points against Minnesota this season, going 1-0-3. That's extremely impressive when you consider the 40-19-12 Wild rank third in the Western Conference with 92 points.

“That's obviously a very good team,” said Connor Bedard, who scored the game-winner by depositing a slick back-hander into the net on a breakaway. “It's fun hockey. Every other game went into OT and we lost. We felt like we needed to at least get one against them before the year ended.”

• Next, the Hawks were a perfect 4-0 against Utah, which has all but wrapped up a playoff spot. This is a squad that features four 20-goal scorers and another player in Logan Cooley who has 17 goals in just 42 games.

But the Hawks definitely left a Mammoth-sized impression on head coach Andre Tourigny.

“They're a better team than people think,” Tourigny said after his team's final loss to the Hawks. “They can skate, they have size, and their goaltending is really good so they're in the game every night. You need to be as close as possible to perfection (against them). …

“They are as good as any team (that is) in the mix to make the playoffs.”

• The Hawks went a combined 4-1-1 against Dallas and Anaheim. The Stars own the second-best record in the entire NHL, and Anaheim is in first place in the Pacific Division.

Add it all up and the Hawks are 9-1-4 against four of the best teams in their conference. So how in the heck is coach Jeff Blashill's squad 10 points out a playoff spot?

Simple: The Hawks have blown too many leads late in games. It's a disturbing list, so avert your eyes if you have a weak stomach:

1. Montreal won 3-2 on Oct. 11 by scoring with 15 seconds remaining in regulation.

2. A month later, New Jersey tied the game with 3:46 remaining, then won in overtime.

3. A week later, Seattle won 3-2 by scoring with 2:18 remaining in regulation.

4. Vegas tied things up with 2:28 on the clock on Dec. 2, then won in OT.

5. On Dec. 16, Toronto won 3-2 by scoring with 3:01 remaining in regulation.

6. Minnesota made it 3-3 with 2:02 remaining on Jan. 27 then won in OT.

7. Nashville won 4-2 on Feb. 26, taking a 3-2 lead with 3:14 left in regulation.

8. Winnipeg tied it at 2-2 with 39 seconds left on March 3 then won in OT.

Playoff teams lock it down and win those games. I'm guessing some of you even remember when the Hawks went 69 straight games without a regulation loss when leading after two periods. That streak started at the beginning of the 2014-15 season and lasted a year-and-a-half.

These Hawks are still learning. Once they ace more tests, they can pass on through to the postseason.

John Dietz, a sports writer at the Daily Herald from 1998-2024, covered the Blackhawks from 2014-24. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.