2012–13 Chicago Blackhawks season
Chicago's Patrick Kane was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs.
The Blackhawks did not play any teams from the Eastern Conference until they advanced to the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins.
On the very next night, against the Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks set a new franchise record by starting the season 6–0–0.
On February 22 against the San Jose Sharks, the Blackhawks set a new NHL record with a 17-game unbeaten streak to start a season.
The Blackhawks proceeded to record seven shutouts during the season, tied for first in the league with the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks.
On March 6 against the Colorado Avalanche, Ray Emery became the first goaltender in NHL history to start a season with 10 straight wins.
Emery was also the first goaltender in franchise history to record 10 consecutive wins at any point in a season, overriding Glenn Hall's streak of nine straight from 1966–67.
The goaltending duo of Corey Crawford and Emery went on to capture the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing an NHL-low 102 goals during the season.
This was the franchise's fourth Jennings Trophy, with the previous three all captured by goaltending tandems featuring Ed Belfour.
[6] On April 12, with a 3–2 shootout win against the Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks won the Central Division and reserved a third seed finish in the Western Conference.
On April 17, the Blackhawks clinched the number one seed of the Western Conference after the Anaheim Ducks lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets in overtime.
Frolik successfully converted against Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard, becoming the first player in NHL playoff history to score twice on a penalty shot.
The Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference Finals, making their third appearance in five seasons, where they faced the fifth seed and defending Stanley Cup champion, the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings won Game 3, however, improving their playoff home win streak to 15–0 at the Staples Center.
This also marked the first time since 1979 (Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers) that two Original Six teams met in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Desperate for the equalizing goal, the Blackhawks pulled goaltender Corey Crawford to add an extra attacker.
Kane also became the third consecutive American-born player to receive the Conn Smythe after Tim Thomas and Jonathan Quick, both goaltenders, from the previous two years.
