Chicago Blackhawks: End the decade with a battle in Calgary

The Chicago Blackhawks are ending their outstanding 2010s decade with a game in Alberta, Canada against the Calgary Flames.

The Chicago Blackhawks had the decade of a lifetime. They won three Stanley Cups over a six-year span. They have had Hall of Fame players lead the way and some of the best depth the league has seen over the span of ten years. The Hawks will be looking to cap it all off with a win when they head to Calgary, Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames in a New Year’s Eve showdown. It has been an up and down year for Chicago but coming off a big win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, they will be looking to carry a winning streak into the new decade.

The Flames are good. They had a bit of a slow start followed by some controversy surrounding the head coach to start the season but have rebounded nicely. They had the most points in the entire Western Conference during the 2018-19 season and now they look more like that team from a year ago. The Blackhawks are going to have to be on their A-game to get a big win here to end the calendar year of 2019 with a winning streak.

The Flames have some elite talent. Mark Giordano is the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman. He leads an impressive blue line that helps out their forward group in all three zones. They have elite talent at forward as well with players like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Matthew Tkachuk. All three of them lead their scoring lines to produce offense at a high clip for Calgary. This is a roster good enough to win divisions and playoff rounds so the Hawks have to be ready.

They have shown the ability to beat strong teams over the last few weeks. That trend needs to continue here as they need as many standings points as they can get to stay in the conversation. If they play as they did against the Columbus Blue Jackets, at least at the beginning of the game, they will be out of the game quickly. They need to be hard on the puck in all three zones because the high-end skill on the Flames will burn you, no pun intended.

This is it for the Blackhawks’ incredible decade. It has created lots of great memories and legacies for the players, coaches, and fans alike. They have done everything there is to do which makes it the most successful decade in team history. Hopefully, they have a winning streak going into the 2020s and can have another successful decade.