Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes: The most important game so far
The Chicago Blackhawks are coming off an ugly loss and winning this game against the Carolina Hurricanes is very important.
The Chicago Blackhawks are in a bad way right now. They had a seven-game homestand that they hoped to turn into some early season points in the bank, but they went 2-3-2 in those games and earned only six out of a possible 14 points. They need to turn themselves around quickly if they don’t want to be buried too far and the last game against the Flyers was no good start to that.
Now they hit the road for a game as they head to the east to play the Carolina Hurricanes who are off to a tremendous start. They bring a 6-3-1 into the game and should not be taken lightly. They had a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season after not making the playoffs for a decade straight. They look poised to get back to the dance again as their core remains intact.
They present dangerous forwards like an old friend in Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, and Andrei Svechnikov. Their defense is as good as any team in the league as well so the Blackhawks are going to need to play well in all three zones in order to win this game. The Hurricanes play a style that matches up well with a team like the Blackhawks so their defense is going to need to come together and get the job done.
This needs to be the game where the power play breaks out. They are 0 for their last 13 which is not going to get it done. The Hurricanes are a middle of the pack group as far as penalty killing at 79.% so hopefully, the Blackhawks can finally breakthrough on the man advantage. With stars like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat that all bring elements needed to be a successful unit on the team, there is no reason for this funk to continue any further.
Pathetic effort by the Blackhawks against the Flyers. light. Related Story
Robin Lehner has made the last two starts for Chicago so expect them to go back to Corey Crawford in this one. It isn’t a guarantee but the likely scenario based on how they have done things so far this season. It is also an important game for Kirby Dach, who is trying to stick with the team and not be sent back to juniors. If he sticks out in this one in a positive way it could be very good for him.