Chicago Blackhawks: Must win game against Calgary Flames
The Chicago Blackhawks need to win this game against the Calgary Flames. If they don’t, the hole they are in will be even bigger and most likely too deep.
The Chicago Blackhawks are in a rough spot. A very good ending to the month of January gave them a lot of hope for February. That was put to a halt, however, as they have not been as good on their current Western Canadian road trip. They need to pick it up over the next few games or they will be toast. The Calgary Flames will be the next stop tonight.
The Flames are in a better spot than Chicago, but they still have a lot of work to do themselves. They currently hold the top Wild Card spot by two points. They are only three points safe from being below the playoff line though. They are going to be just as desperate as the Blackhawks are in this game.
When you think of the Calgary Flames, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, and Elias Lindholm are always going to come to mind. They are their four leading scorers to nobodies surprise. What is surprising, is that they aren’t having as good of years as we have come to expect. They are having decent years, but compared to their normal years they are off.
What makes Calgary so good when they are at their best is their defense core. Mark Giordano won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in 2018-19. He is joined by Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, T.J. Brodie, and Travis Hamonic amongst others. This is a tough group to play against but the Blackhawks forwards need to pressure them hard.
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have both had good years once again. If there was ever a time for them to put the team on their back, it would be this night. They need to play the Flames hard and get a result here, or they will be sellers on February 24th’s trade deadline. They have proven they can do it before, now is a time to do it again.
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It is tough to say a game is a must-win when there is still over a month left in the season but it feels like it here. If they lose, they could be as many as eight points back of the second Wild Card with four teams to jump. So with that said, it is fair to call it a must-win.