Blackhawks’ Cup-Runner Report Card Reveals A Few Ugly Truths

Chicago did not exactly breeze through the season-series homework against the two teams still standing in the Stanley Cup Final. The Blackhawks’ results against those finalists offer a blunt snapshot of where the gap still lives - pace, depth, and the kind of detail work contenders make look automatic. That is the sort of mismatch front offices notice, because it tells them whether they are close, merely hopeful, or still shopping in a different aisle.