Chicago Blackhawks: Breaking down stretch before trade deadline

Friday, Colorado Avalanche

On Friday the Blackhawks will welcome the Colorado Avalanche into the United Center. It is always a treat when these two get together. There is also a little more added to this matchup because both of these teams currently have the same amount of points. This might be a little bit different by the time we get to Friday but they definitely will be close to each other as they both fight for the same playoff spot.

The Avalanche have been must-see TV over the last year and a half, not because they are world beaters or a true threat to win the Stanley Cup, but because they have one of the best lines in the entire National Hockey League. The line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen is a line of three very good players who give their team a scoring chance just about every single time they step onto the ice. MacKinnon, in particular, is one of the best and fastest players in the world. He is right there with Connor McDavid and Taylor Hall as the fastest skill players in the whole league.

The Blackhawks are going to have to contain that line if they are to have any success in this one. The Avalanche pretty much go where that line takes them as their team depth isn’t as strong. If the Hawks could shut that line down they will win. They are also not that great defensively so this could be a game where Patrick Kane and friends thrive.

These two will likely be neck and neck with a few other teams for the final few Wild Card spots in the Western Conference so this game is huge for both teams. It might not be must-win level just yet, but it is pretty close. In a game loaded with star players, look for a very entertaining tilt on Chicago ice.