Chicago Blackhawks: Need a big effort against Calgary Flames
The Chicago Blackhawks need a big effort if they are going to make it a 2-0 start to their four-game homestand against the Calgary Flames.
The Chicago Blackhawks avoided a pretty embarrassing loss on Sunday night. They were down 2-0 after the first period of play against the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are the league’s worst team with only ten wins under their belt in 2019-20. It has been a struggle at the NHL level for a team building for the future. The Hawks did come back and win the game to begin their homestand on a good note. All they can do now is build on that comeback win.
If that game taught them anything, it is that they need to work hard to get wins no matter who it is that they’re playing. The standings are an inditement of who is good and who isn’t but they don’t mean that any given team can’t beat another. The Calgary Flames are a much better hockey team than the Detroit Red Wings right now despite their up and down first half. They have the roster to be one of the elite teams in the league but they need to put it all together.
The Blackhawks obviously need to be on the lookout for their star forwards like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Matthew Tkachuk. They also have the reigning Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Mark Giordano leading the way. This is a group that can put the puck in the net by creating high danger chances in many ways. They use their defense to push up and allow the forwards to do their thing. This could end up being a high octane offensive game.
The Blackhawks would like to see some more of the same from their young players. Dylan Strome, Dominik Kubalik, Adam Boqvist, and Dylan Sikura all scored goals on Sunday against Detroit. If they can be solid along with the likes of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews doing their thing this should end up being a well-balanced attack for Chicago. The key will be defending and goaltending. This will be a good test against the Flames to see if they can keep it all together and work hard enough to defeat a very solid team.
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Playing well at home is very important in the NHL. Yes, you need to do well on the road but each team plays 41 games with their home crowd behind them. A four-game homestand is eight potential points that could be earned on your own ice so this is an important stretch for a team trying to remain in postseason contention.