The Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins take to the ice for the second time this month in a battle of teams that have Stanley Cup aspirations.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been in a bit of a tailspin the last couple weeks with many people thinking that they are just going through the motions until the playoffs begin with the ability to flip that switch at anytime with their veteran core.
Of course, a lot of people don’t like the idea of peaking too early in February and coasting through the End of March and early April. If this was the first run at the Stanley Cup I would be more apt to worry about the Blackhawks, but like I said during the 2nd period of the Tampa game that if this was a playoff game I would be losing my mind, but it wasn’t so it’s not that big of a deal.
The Chicago Blackhawks still have the best record in the NHL since February 1st and that’s been without Artem Anisimov in the lineup. Last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins got red hot towards the end of the season, and they carried over right through the playoffs to lifting the Stanley Cup in June.
The Penguins do have something to play for, having fallen two points below Columbus in the Metro Standings which would mean starting out on the road in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a 7 point lead with the Minnesota Wild falling from the standings makes it easier for Joel Quenneville to experiment with his lineup like getting Tomas Jurco in the lineup in Tampa and giving the kid some confidence. What will Coach Q do tonight?
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Here are the listings for tonight’s contest.
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Game Time– 7pm
TV Listings– NBCSN
Radio Listings– WGN Radio
Live Streaming– NBC Live Extra
Radio Live Streaming– WGN Radio App
I got off work late so I didn’t get the prediction for the Tampa game done in time so we are on to tonight’s game.
Final Score Prediction
The Penguins come out with more purpose than the Chicago Blackhawks and skate away with a 5-3 win which will cause the Blackhawk faithful to really question what’s happening with the defense.
Three Stars Predictions
#3 Star- Patrick Kane– 1 Goal 1 Assist
#2 Star- Sidney Crosby– 1 Goal 1 Assist
#1 Star- Phil Kessel– 1 Goal 2 Assists
Next: This Weeks Power Rankings
What are your predictions for tonight’s game?