Blackhawks: Get A Win Streak Going In Columbus
The Chicago Blackhawks need to put some wins together if they want to get back in it. It starts in Columbus where they will face an interesting opponent.
The Chicago Blackhawks have shown that they can beat good teams. They have defeated the Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, and Nw York Islanders over the last two weeks or so. They also were also defeated pretty handily by the New Jersey Devils who are in last. They have shown no consistency to their game so this game against the Columbus Blue Jackets is an interesting one. The Blue Jackets are no longer the Eastern Conference power that they have been over the last few years.
They are in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division which is a strong division overall. They are one of the most turned over teams in the entire NHL. They had two major unrestricted free agents going into last season. With Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky on expiring contracts, it was clear that they either needed to trade them and retool or go all in. They went all in. They acquired some more soon to be UFAs in Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel. They did get into the playoffs and swept the Tampa Bay Lightning out of the first round in one of the biggest upsets in NHL history.
Things didn’t fare as well for them in the next round as the Boston Bruins defeated them in six games. Columbus did give them a scare though as they did lead the series 2-1 after three games. They went all in and you have to respect them for it. They are paying the price for it this year. All four of Panarin, Dzingel, Bobrovsky, and Duchene are with other teams now via free agency.
They have shown a lot of fight this season with their 17-14-7 record. They might not make the playoffs but they will surely be a thorn in the side of those trying to make it. They are only five points out so they could go on a run and make it if all things go right. They have a good coach in John Tortorella who gets the boys going. They have Seth Jones and Zach Werenski on the back end who form one of the best pairs in the league.
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With Panarin gone, they get all of their scoring done by committee. Pierre-Luc Dubois, Gustav Nyquist, and Oliver Bjorkstrand are their three leading scorers and having fine seasons. The Blackhawks will have to look at these guys and try to shut them down in order to get a win. They will need a solid team effort against a gritty team like this. Both teams need wins in the worst way which should make it a very entertaining game. The Blackhawks need to use this to win their second in a row and get going on a nice little streak. The key is playing a complete team game.