Bedard & The Blackhawks vs Crosby & The ’05-’06 Penguins At 55 Games

The rebuild comparison after 20 games and then 36 had some similar returns. How do Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks stack up against Sidney Crosby and his 2005-06 Pittsburgh Penguins now?

After 13 games, the Blackhawks found themselves a point behind. How did things shake out?

• The Blackhawks were 5-8 with 10 points; The Penguins 3-5-5 with 11 points
• Connor Bedard was playing at a point-per-game pace. (9-4-13). Sidney Crosby had four goals and 18 points.

Following 36 games, it looked like this:

• The Blackhawks were 11-23-2 with 24 points. The Penguins came in at 9-19-8 with 26 points.
• Bedard had 15 goals and 33 points. Not much would change because his injury occurred just three games later. Crosby after 36 games had 18 goals and 40 points.

So now as we approach the 55 game mark, how do things stack up now?

Blackhawks and Penguins Both Continue the Nosedive

Not as if it bears repeating, but the Blackhawks struggled mightily without Bedard. Since that 36 game mark, the Hawks went 3-14-1 in that stretch. Good enough for 31 points. The ’05-’06 Penguins? They went 3-13-2 after the 36 game mark, having just one additional point more than the Blackhawks.

Uncanny again how close they are in record, even between the gaps of games. Both teams records heading into their 55th game?

• Blackhawks – 14-37-3 (31 points)
• Penguins – 12-32-10 (34 points)

The Blackhawks actually have more regulation wins which is impressive because in terms of offensive output, the Penguins were leagues ahead of where Chicago is now. Pittsburgh would finish 19th in scoring, putting up 244 team goals. The Blackhawks account for half of that with just 28 games to go in the season. The 2013-14 Buffalo Sabres hold the lowest goals-per-game average in the Cap Era with 1.83. They potted 150 that season.

The Hawks currently sit at 2.07 and if they hold up at the two goals per game average, they should scoot past that record easily.

Bedard-Crosby Comparison A Bit Different After Injury

After 54 games, Crosby continued his tear, adding another five goals and eight points to give him a total of 26 goals and 61 points. Bedard, on the other hand, now has an incomparable gap after missing his 14 games. But his points-per-game rate would be .85 and set him, hypothetically at 46 points for the season if he was able to play all 54 games. His goal count would be 22. The adjusted total would pull him within four goals of Crosby’s mark but 15 short of him in points.

But it’s just that–hypothetical. There’s no telling what Bedard would have done, but his five games prior to getting injured showed a total of three points (2-1) with the goals both coming against Winnipeg in a 2-1 overtime win on December 27th.

With the final 27 games of the season to be played, how will the rest of the season play out? In our final installment that will happen upon the conclusion of the season, we’ll look at everything from how the numbers played out to how the Penguins constructed their roster a season later–which resulted in a playoff appearance.

Will the future mirror the similar results seen so far? Stay tuned.