March 20, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Brandon Saad (20) moves the puck against the defense of Anaheim Ducks defenseman Toni Lydman (32) and defenseman Cam Fowler (4) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Game #33- Anaheim Ducks (22-7-4, 48 points) vs.  Chicago Blackhawks (25-4-3, 53 points)

TV- CSN-CH

Radio- WGN 720 AM

Puck drop- 7:30 PM Central Time

Season Series- The Ducks have earned victories in both games played against the Blackhawks this season(3-2 in the Shootout on February 12th, and 4-2 on March 20th) as they look to sweep the only team that they trail in the Western Conference standings.

Preview- Just like on March 20th, this is another Prime Time match up between the top two teams in the Western Conference, late in the season, complete with an abundance of playoff implications, and team measuring sticks.

The Blackhawks have been off since their Tuesday night dominating victory over the Calgary Flames, where Ray Emery earned his first shutout since 2010, and has been given the nod to start tonight, from Head Coach Joel Quennevile.  The last the Hawks faced the Ducks, they were completely overwhelmed by the Ducks aggressive forechecking and size.  That game raised some legitimate concerns over the Hawks’ ability to succeed against teams like the Ducks.  Even with the forechecking and size bullying the Hawks all over the ice, the Hawks had the lead heading into the 3rd period, but it was the Ducks style of play, combined with just sloppy, bad hockey from the Blackhawks, that lead to their demise, in that game.  This game is indeed very winnable for the Blackhawks.  Patrick Kane continues to add to his mountain of points on the season, and Jonathan Toews has been consistently lighting the lamp lately.  As long as Emery plays solid, with good team defense in front of him, the Hawks have the offensive firepower, even without Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp out of the lineup.  Although, the Power Play has certainly missed the presence of Hossa and Sharp.

The Ducks, have not won since their March 20th victory over the Blackhawks, as they are looking to end their 4-game losing streak.  The Ducks are lead by their usual suspects of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Bobby Ryan, on the offensive front.  Also, you can never truly count out veteran Teemu Selanne to be an offensive threat.  Whoever starts in net tonight for the Ducks, it will be no easy task for the Blackhawks, as Viktor Fasth looks to get the start at goaltender tonight, as he ask emerged as a very worthy counterpart to Jonas Hiller.  The Ducks will once again look to use their size and forechecking to force the Hawks into making mistakes and playing rushed hockey.  This style has proved to be a sort of kryptonite to the Blackhawks, and gives the Ducks a possible edge to work with.

This should be a great team measuring stick for both teams, as is any game where two elite teams face off against each other.  The Ducks are looking to end their recent skid, and couldn’t ask for a much more worth opponent than the Blackhawks as a chance to escape their recent funk, while the Blackhawks look to firmly entrench themselves as THE elite team in the Western Conference, and a little revenge too.

Feb 25, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa (81) reacts to scoring the game winning goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin (35) during overtime at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in overtime. The Blackhawks set an NHL record for scoring at least one point in 19 consecutive games to open a season. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Game #20- Chicago Blackhawks (16-0-3) vs St Louis Blues (10-6-2)

TV- CSN-Chicago FS-Midwest

Radio-WGN Radio

Game Time- 7:00 pm Central Time

Season Series- The Hawks lead 1-0 after beating the Blues in Chicago 3-2 on January 22.

Preview- The Blues and Blackhawks have one thing in common and that’s playing one goal games.  The Blues are 2-2 in their last four games all which are one goal games while the Hawks are 10-0-3 in one goal games.  Some sort of trend will end tonight in St Louis with the Hawks 8-0-2 on the road this season but they are also 2-5 in their last seven in St Louis. Jaroslav Halak is 1-0-1 since returning from injury, and he has owned the Hawks in St Louis going 3-0-0 last year.

As everyone knows the Hawks have the record for games without a regulation loss to start the season at 19 going for 20 tonight.  The Hawks are also at 25 games combined between seasons with 35 games as the all-time mark.  The Hawks are winning by the skin of their teeth but winning close games is the making of a champion.  The truly great part of the streak is the solid play from both Ray Emery and Corey Crawford.  It’s a great one two punch this year.

Prediction- This has all the markings of a streak buster but this isn’t your old Blackhawks so this is a hard one to call. As much as I’m rooting for the Hawks to win I think they fall 3-1 in St Louis.. I hope I’m wrong!

The Ducks visit Chicago tonight (picture courtesy of blogzap2it.com)

Game #13-Anaheim Ducks (8-2-1) vs Chicago Blackhawks (10-0-2)

 Game Time- 7:30 Central Time TV-CSN-Chicago, Prime

 Radio- WGN Radio 

Preview- The Anaheim Ducks arrived in Chicago Sunday on their current 6 game road trip. This will be their 4th game of the trip which will be completed in just 11 days.  The Ducks are playing very good hockey with currently the 2nd best record in the Western Conference.  The Ducks have won five out of their last six games going into tonight’s showdown with the Hawks, and they are led by the ageless (42) Teemu Selanne who leads the team in scoring with 4 goals and 10 assists.  In years past the Ducks have been more of a lockdown defensive team that struggled putting pucks in the net, but that hasn’t been the case this season with the Ducks averaging 3.36 goals a game and they have already scored 6 or more goals three times in just 11 contests.  The Ducks scoring is very balanced with 8 different players on their roster with at least 4 goals scored including Saku Koivu and Bobby Ryan.

 If you are looking for a weakness on the Ducks going into tonight it has been their Penalty Kill. They currently rank 29th in this department allowing 13 goals on 40 chances.  The real strength has been the production they have received from rookie goalie Viktor Fasth who won his first five starts. Whether Fasth or opening day starter Jonas Hiller starts tonight it will be a tough task for the Hawks to get pucks past the Duck net minders.

 The Blackhawks finally return home to the United Center after the much talked about 10 road games out of 12 to start the season.  In most cases after returning home after an extended successful road trip, the first game home is the most dangerous especially against a team that is just as hot.  The offense for the Hawks is being led by it’s stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, but  the lower lines that have really provided the extra punch the team needed, even Sunday night in Nashville when it was Marcus Kruger that kick started the offense with his goal off a Predators turnover.

  The Hawks weakness still remains the power play which needs to start clicking especailly against the 29th rated penalty kill tonight.  The Hawks only had 1.5 chances Sunday night and had great pressure with no results on the Power play against the Predators.  The penalty kill still ranks #1 in the league which hopefully will not get complacent just because they are finally skating on home ice.

 An interesting side note in the first of three meetings between these two franchises is that the Ducks hold the record for best start to begin a season without a regulation loss which occurred in the 2006-2007 season when they started 12-0-4 and oh by the way they went on to win the Stanley Cup that season, so yes there are benefits to a fast start! 

Prediction- This game looks like it has all the markings of an overtime duel with the good guys pulling it out with some Kane magic in a shoot out.

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Feb, 14 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Nick Spaling (13) and Chicago Blackhawks right wing Jamal Mayers (22) face off during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators beat the Blackhawks 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Game # 12-  Chicago Blackhawks(9-0-2, 20 points) Vs. Nashville Predators(5-2-4, 14 points)

Game time- 7:00 PM Central Time

TV- CSN

Radio- WGN 720 AM

Preview-  This will be the first meeting of the season between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators.  The Blackhawks are looking to wrap up their season long 6-game road trip with a win tonight against their division-rival, Predators.  The Hawks have made hockey look easy on this road trip, but things are never easy against Nashville.

The Predators currently sit in second place in the Central Division, 6 points behind the Blackhawks, they can make up some serious ground with a win tonight.  Stingy on defense, and frustrating to opposing offenses, the Predators can be Kyrptonite to Hawks dynamic offense, as they have been at times in the past.  The Predators lost were in Minnesota last night, as they lost to the Wild 2-1 in Overtime.  It will be interesting to see how fresh their legs will be after that game and a late night flight back to Nashville last night, as the Hawks had the night off in Nashville last night.

Nashville is lead more by their players’ defensive skills rather than their point production, as they are ranked 26th in the league in Goals Per Game(2.10 goals) and 1st in the league with the lowest average of Goals Allowed Per Game(1.80 goals).  Shea Weber, the Predators’ well-paid defenseman, is off to a bit of a slow start offensively, but his powerful shot from the blueline is always a force to be reckoned with.  The Predators’ points leader is long-time Right-Wing, Martin Erat along with Center, Colin Wilson.

The dynamic goaltender, Pekka Rinne, will be in between the pipes in tonight’s game.  Rinne appears to be the latest in what essentially is Nashvilles “goaltender farm” as they always seem to produce strong goaltenders in their minor-league system.  This could also be a result of long-time(and the only in the history of the franchise) head coach Barry Trotz’s tradition of teams built on trapping defensive teams, and little offense.  Regardless, Rinne has been great as the Predators’ net-minder.

The Blackhawks look to end their already guaranteed successful road trip on a high-note tonight in Nashville.  The Hawks will be well-rested, since the have been off since their Thursday night domination against the Phoenix Coyotes.  The Hawks have been lighting the lamp at a rapid pace this season with an outstanding average of 3.46 Goals Per Game, good for 2nd best in the NHL.  They are solid defensively also, with a 2.09 Goals Against Per game, which is good for 6th best in the league.  The Blackhawks most impressive feature this season has got to be their shutdown Penalty Kill.  The Chicago Penalty Killers are killing 92.7% of opponents Power Plays, the best percentage in the league.

The rapid lamp lighting and explosive offense has been lead by Right Winger, Patrick Kane, who is off to the best start of his career, and leads his team in points.  Marian Hossa continues to show no ill-affects from his nasty concussion received in last years post-season, as he is playing at a point per game pace, and is arguably the Hawks’ best two-way forward.   Jonathan Toews is ranked 4th in the NHL in faceoff wins, and also is producing at a point per game pace, along with Patrick Sharp.

Corey Crawford looks to get the start in net tonight in Nashville.  He should be very well-rested as he has not played since Tuesday night in San Jose.  Crawford continues to have an excellent bounce-back season this year, and looks to continue that by helping the Hawks put some space between them and the rest of the Central Division.

The Blackhawks and Predators always seem to have very competitive contests, and this one looks to be no different, as this game has a great impact on the standings and possible playoff implications, especially in a shortened season.

Feb 10, 2012; San Jose, CA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates with the puck past San Jose Sharks center Andrew Desjardins (69) during the second period at HP Pavilion. San Jose defeated Chicago 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports

Game #10-  Chicago Blackhawks(7-0-2, 16 points) Vs. San Jose Sharks(7-1-1, 15 points)

Game time-  9:30 PM Central Time

TV- NHLN-CA, CSN-CH, CSN-CA

Radio- WGN 720 AM, KFOX(San Jose area)

Preview- The top two teams in the NHL Western Conference face-off against each other tonight at the HP Pavillion in San Jose.  This game will be a great test for each team, as each team is trying to see if they are the best-in-the-west at this early check-point in the season.

The San Jose Sharks will be playing in their second of back-to-back games, as they are coming off of their first regulation loss of the season, at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks.  The Sharks are lead by their high-powered offense with the likes of Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, who are tied for the team lead in points with 14 apiece.  Also lighting the lame for the Sharks at a consistent pace are Joe Pavelski and young star, but big-time contributor, Logan Couture.  The Sharks’ defensive core is anchored by veteran Dan Boyle, Douglas Murray, and newcomer from the Detroit Red Wings, Brad Stuart.

The Hawks have to figure out how to beat a familiar face in net for the Sharks, as Antti Niemi is expected to be the starting goaltender.  As many know, Niemi helped the Blackhawks capture their first Stanley Cup in 49 years, back in 2010.  Niemi was part of the Hawks’ offseason purge in 2010, as he went to the Sharks, and has found success and a long-term contract to stay in the bay-area.  This season, Niemi is off to a terrific start with a 6-0 record along with a 1.80 Goals Against Average, and a .936% Save Percentage.  The Blackhawks have always struggle to find the back of the net against Niemi, so they have thier work cut out for them.

The Blackhawks should be well-rested as they haven’t played since Saturday night when they defeated the Calgary Flames in the shootout.  This will be the fourth game of a 6-game road trip for the Hawks, while so far the Hawks have a record of 1-0-2(4 points) on the road trip.  Not a bad first half to their longest road trip of the season, as the Hawks have secured at least one point in the standings in each game on the trip, thus far.

Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa off to explosive starts for the Blackhawks this season.  The real story of the Hawks’ success so far this season, has been their special teams.  The penalty-kill has been especially good, as the Hawks’ have killed off 94.4 percent of opponents power-plays, the best percentage in the league.  Captain, Jonathan Toews has been winning face-offs at an outstanding 61.2%, a huge factor in the Hawks’ early-season success, as it contributes to their “own-the-puck” style of play.

The Blackhawks penalty-kill has been incredible thanks in large part to goaltender Corey Crawford’s excellent play in net.  Crawford continues to silence doubters this season, and even earned extra rest as Ray Emery filled in(superbly) for him in Calgary.  This season, Crawford has put up a 5-0 record with a 1.66 Goals Against Average, and a .934% Save Percentage.  He should be well-rested and ready to stop the Sharks’ dynamic offense tonight in San Jose.

Tonight’s game will be great test for each team, as well as a potentially important game in impacting the face of the Western Conference standings.  The Sharks loss last night against Anaheim, left the Blackhawks as the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss on hte season.  The Sharks would love nothing more than to hand the Hawks their first, in this potential playoff match-up between two elite teams.

Mar 11, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Patrick Sharp (10) battles for position with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell (33) in front of goalie Jonathan Quick (32) during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Game-#1 Chicago Blackhawks (0-0-0) at LA Kings (0-0-0)

Game Time- 2pm Central

TV-NBC

Injuries- Anze Kopitar-LA Kings  Steve Montador-Blackhawks

Preview- The LA Kings will be raising their Stanley Cup banner and the Blackhawks will be there to witness it.  The biggest news before the game could be whether or not Jonathan Toews makes it on the ice for the game since he missed Friday’s practice with flu like symptoms.

The Blackhawks and their fans will get to see Marian Hossa make his return to the ice for the first time since his concussion induced time off thanks to Raffi Torres.  The Hawks roster has very little change in it since we last saw them in their exit against the Phoenix Coyotes.  Their only free agent signings came on defense with Sheldon Brookbank and Michal Rozsival.  The biggest key to the lineup is health, but Coach Q is shaking up a little bit with the promotion of Dave Bolland to the 2nd line center. Bolland has the ability offensively for the task the question will be if Coach Q can let them settle in to their roles before he gets line change itchy.  With 10 out of the first 12 on the road it is imperative that the Hawks don’t go into a 9 game losing streak tail spin like last season.  The key to the season and this game will be the goal keepers for the Blackhawks, they don’t have to be spectacular, but they have to stop everything they are suppose to.

The Kings are the champs but as Hawks fans remember there is usually a hangover after the summer so hopefully that along with the long lockout lay off will cause Hawks killer Jonathan Quick  not be in midseason form like he was during the playoffs and against the Hawks last season. Quick pitched two shutout against Chicago in going 3-0-1 last season on his road to the Conn Smyth trophy. The play in general across the league should be pretty choppy the first week or two, and it should be hard pressed for the Kings to play at the level they were at when the hoisted the cup last June.

Prediction- The Kings are not as ready as the Hawks are for the season to start and the Hawks pull off the road win 4-2.

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