Without Toews and Dach, Blackhawks struggling with faceoffs

Faceoff statistics aren't exactly the sexiest numbers in the hockey world, where it's normally all about goals, assists and save percentage.

But faceoffs can be a big part of any game, especially when it comes to special teams.

Win one on the power play and you've got possession. Win one on the penalty kill and you're whacking the puck 200 feet the other way.

The Blackhawks have struggled mightily in of late, which isn't exactly a huge surprise, as they've been without Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach all season. Throw in the fact that Dylan Strome is in concussion protocol and it only magnifies the problem.

A quick look at the carnage shows that since Feb. 1, the Hawks have:

• Won 45.5% of their faceoffs overall, which ranks 30th.

• Won 28 of 64 draws on the power play, a 43.8% rate that ranks 28th.

• Won 21 of 51 draws on the penalty kill, a 41.2% rate that ranks 24th.

The Hawks were a combined 36 of 96 (37.8%) overall in a win at Columbus on Thursday and a loss to Detroit on Saturday. Only Carl Soderberg (10 of 20) came close to winning half his draws as Pius Suter was 8 of 23, Lucas Wallmark was 6 of 20 and David Kampf was 5 of 15.

One and done:

The Hawks have earned just 1 power-play opportunity in each of their last three games. The all came in the third period.

"We've got to do a better job of getting to the net in the offensive zone," said coach Jeremy Colliton, whose team earned an average of 3.4 power plays the previous nine games.

"If you get half a step on your guy, be willing to take it to the net. Test them. Put them in a position where they will take a penalty."

On the flip side, Columbus and Detroit only earned a combined 4 power plays in those three games.

"That's just gonna happen," said defenseman Connor Murphy. "You're going to play some games that you're gonna have a lot; some that are not. Sometimes it just depends on the refs and how that night's going."

Slap shots:

Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane are tied for fifth in goals with 11. Toronto's Auston Matthews (18) and Edmonton's Connor McDavid (14) lead the way. Kane ranks third in assists with 23, trailing only McDavid (26) and Leon Draisaitl (24). ... Ryan Carpenter had his first multi-goal game of his career during the Hawks' 7-2 win over Detroit on Sunday. ...

Four of Mattias Janmark's 7 goals have come against Detroit. ... Carl Soderberg (4G, 4A) has points in six of the last eight games.