The Chicago Blackhawks faceoff against the first place Minnesota Wild at the United Center this morning.
The last two games between these two Central Division rivals were excellent games. One game had the offsides review that was so obvious that everyone except the referees that made the call thought it should be reversed. The other game was a Nick Schmaltz welcome to the NHL moment that included Jonathan Toews 4th hat trick of his career.
Both teams have not been playing their best hockey in the past week, but their cushion between both teams and third place Nashville is so big that it’s really a two team race for first place in the Central.
The Hawks biggest struggles against the Wild have been slowing down Mikael Granlund who is having a career season, and the other real Hawks killer always seems to be Erik Haula. The good thing is that Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson should be back in the lineup to shut down the Wild’s offense.
The Chicago Blackhawks do need to find their offense after what was a red hot offense before the 4 day off break last week. The bottom 6 haven’t done much in the last two games after being very evident in the last two games, and the reason the offense was thriving was that all 4 Blackhawks lines were producing.
More from Blackhawk Up
- Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
- Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
- Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
- Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
- These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem
Hopefully this is going to be a great show for the National TV audience tuning in after Sunday church. Here are the listing for today’s game.
More from Blackhawks News
- Blackhawks vs Flames: Date, Time, Lineup, Betting Odds, More
- Three Takeaways from the Blackhawks’ Win vs Vancouver
- Blackhawks: Why Derek King is the Right Coach moving forward
- Marc-Andre Fleury Carries the Blackhawks to a 4-2 Win vs Seattle
- Instant Reaction: Blackhawks top Kraken for first time in history
Game Time-11:30am
TV Listings- NBC
Radio Listings– WGN Radio
Live Streaming– NBC Live Extra
Radio Live Streaming– WGN Radio App
My prediction for the Detroit Red Wings game was pathetic, so it’s back to the drawing board.
Final Score Prediction
The Hawks find their scoring groove while Corey Crawford brings his A game to the United Center as the Hawks dominate the Wild in a 4-0 statement victory.
Three Stars Prediction
#3 Star- Patrick Kane 1 Goal 1 assist
#2 Star- Marian Hossa– 1 Goal 1 assist
#1 Star- Corey Crawford– Shutout victory
Next: Blackhawks Biggest Threats In The West
What are your predictions for this afternoon contest?