Quenneville is Adams favorite at season's midpoint

That's right; 50 percent of the season had already passed, yet Joel Quenneville's club had a grand total of zero regulation losses.

That all changed Friday night in game No. 25 as the Blackhawks dropped a decision to the Colorado Avalanche, but that should not take away from the team's accomplishments.

Whether they're on the road or at the friendly confines of United Center, the Blackhawks simply find ways to earn points. The streak reached its apex at 24 games Wednesday night, when Daniel Carcillo broke a 2-2 tie to lift the Blackhawks to their 11th straight win with a 3-2 victory against the Avalanche.

With the victory, the Blackhawks improved to 21-0-3. Dating to the 2011-12 regular season, they notched a point in 30 consecutive games (24-0-6), the second-longest streak in NHL history.

Only the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers enjoyed a better run than the one Quenneville's team had. Those Flyers set a new record for North American professional sports when they went 35 games without a loss, 25-0-10. Overtime had not yet been implemented at that point, so a game that was even after 60 minutes ended in a tie.

For that reason, Quenneville continues to be NHL.com's pick for the Jack Adams Award as the League's top coach, an honor he also held after one quarter of the season had been completed.

FINALISTS

Bruce Boudreau, Anaheim Ducks – Sure, what Chicago has accomplished is the biggest story of the NHL season thus far, but we can't ignore what Boudreau is doing with the Ducks. Also a finalist for the award at the quarter pole, Boudreau's club has won 10 straight home games after a 4-0 victory against the Calgary Flames on Friday, extending its lead in the Pacific Division to 11 points with a record of 17-3-3.

Michel Therrien, Montreal Canadiens – One of the better coaching hires this summer, Therrien has provided Montreal with structure in its own end and has benefited from some solid goaltending by Carey Price. Nonetheless, Therrien deserves the bulk of the credit, considering the remarkable turnaround by the Canadiens this season. After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, the Canadiens entered action Saturday atop the Eastern Conference with 34 points (15-5-4).

---