Chicago Blackhawks: Don’t disrespect Columbus Blue Jackets

The Chicago Blackhawks are welcoming the Columbus Blue Jackets to the United Center and they simply cannot take them lightly.

The Chicago Blackhawks are about to host the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight and that is a tough challenge for the Blackhawks. The Blue Jackets have lost a lot of pieces this offseason and are sort of a new-look team in a negative way. Their franchise goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky left town to sign a big-time deal with the Florida Panthers. Artemi Panarin left them in free agency to sign a big-money deal with the New York Rangers. Matt Duchene left for the Nashville Predators and Ryan Dzingel went to Carolina.

To say that there is a lot of turnover to their roster is an understatement and a lot of people see that as a reason that they might not be as good this year as they have been in the past. They are off to an okay start at 3-3-0 and are going to be a pesky team all season long. They are definitely out to prove everyone wrong this year and they just might. With great players like Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Cam Atkinson, and Pierre-Luc Dubois amongst others in the fold, they are going to be able to win some games.

This is something that the Blackhawks need to keep in mind. They got their first win of the season against a high powered Edmonton Oilers team that went into the game undefeated, and if the Blackhawks play the exact same game against Columbus they will win. The Jackets don’t have the best player in the world to worry about but they do have some really great players. They are a team that can sneak up on you and creates what you would call a “trap game”. If the Blackhawks take them lightly, they will be defeated with ease.

This is an important game for the Blackhawks because if they can get their second win in a row it would really give them some confidence in their game as their homestand continues. You should look for the big guns to step up in this one. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat are the three players to watch in this one as they are playing a team that should favor the Blackhawks as far as matchups. They have to face some really good defenseman but if they can get traffic in front of the Columbus net they will be successful.

Corey Crawford started in their last game against the Edmonton Oilers but that was on Monday so it is hard to guess who will get the start. Expect the decision to be announced throughout the day today. This is a big game for the Blackhawks and they need a second straight win bad.