Chicago Blackhawks: A chance to salvage the homestand

The Chicago Blackhawks have not had very much success three games into their four-game homestand but they have a chance to make it a .500 stretch.

The Chicago Blackhawks are not a very good hockey team according to the NHL standings. They are last in the Central Division as they look to try and climb out of it. They are about to finish off their four-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks tonight. They began the road trip with a big comeback win against the Detroit Red Wings but have since dropped back to back games to the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators.

It is already a failed homestand because when it started, all four teams they were about to play were below the playoff line and they have dropped two of their first three. With that said, they have a chance to make it a .500 homestand with a win over the Ducks. The Ducks are in a similar situation as the Blackhawks in a lot of ways.

The Ducks, like Chicago, have outstanding goaltending. John Gibson is one of the very best goalies in the world. They also have a top-heavy team with players like Ryan Getzlaf, Adam Henrique, Jacob Silfverberg, and Richard Rakell leading the way. Outside of them, they have a lot of young players trying to find their way. It is easy to see why they might be compared to the Blackhawks as an organization.

This is a chance for the Blackhawks to show some signs of life. In their last game against Nashville, they went down 3-0, and although they got it to 3-2 before pulling their goaltender, they forfeited two goals via the empty net and lost 5-2. It was definitely a tough game for them but they just couldn’t get it done. They even let Pekka Rinne be the first goalie to score a goal in six years. There are a lot of people who want one of, if not both, the GM and coach to be gone if the losing continues.

The Blackhawks would have the most success against the Ducks if they create traffic in front of Gibson. He is an elite goalie that doesn’t get as much help as he deserves from his forwards and defenseman so Chicago needs to be in his face all game. They need Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to create chances and take control of the power play as well. The Ducks have the 29th best power play so if the Hawk’s top ten penalty kill can take advantage of that, they should be able to win the special teams battle. This is a compelling game that the Hawks need to win.