Blackhawks: Colorado Avalanche are going to be a problem
The Chicago Blackhawks are playing well and they need to keep it going when the Colorado Avalanche visits the United Center on Friday.
There is nothing better than some Black Friday hockey while eating all of your Thanksgiving leftovers and the Chicago Blackhawks are going to be there for you. They have a late afternoon matchup with the Colorado Avalanche who is one of the best teams in the Western Conference. They present a stiff challenge after the Blackhawks lived up to the Dallas Stars in their previous two games. Taking three of four from them should propel the Hawks into this Colorado game with confidence.
The Avalanche is a good hockey team right now. They sit near the top of the Central Division without two of their three best players in Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. They do, however, have Nathan MacKinnon who is one of the three best players in the National Hockey League. They also have something that has kept them back over the last few seasons and that is a second-line center. They use Nazem Kadri in that role as they brought him over in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The acquired Kadri for defenseman Tyson Barrie over the summer. The reason they were okay with moving a good puck-moving defenseman like Barrie is because they knew they had something special in Cale Makar. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and he is currently on fire. He is the clear leader for the Calder Trophy right now as the leagues top rookie but he might even get consideration for the Norris Trophy which goes to the best defenseman in the league. The Blackhawks need to be wary of him at even strength and when the Avalanche is on the power play.
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This is a home and home set with Colorado so they will be back in Colorado to play each other again tomorrow. Corey Crawford was in net during Tuesday’s game against the Stars so there is a good chance Robin Lehner gets the game at the United Center. They should go back to Crawford in the game back in Denver. No matter what, these days the Blackhawks are confident that they have two elite goalies that will give them a chance to win every game.