Chicago Blackhawks Morning Links- Hello, United Center

Good morning Chicago Blackhawks fans! With the Christmas break in the middle of everything, the Chicago Blackhawks are finally home tonight after what seemed like the longest 6 game road trip ever. 

The Chicago Blackhawks on January 5th find themselves in a very different position.  They are looking up in the standings at everyone in the Central Division, and they are 3 points out of a playoff spot.

Tonight, they faceoff against the Vegas Golden Knights who are an expansion team that oh bye the way is at the very top of the Western Conference in points right now.  Yes, it’s a bizarro world we live in right now in the NHL.

The good thing for the Chicago Blackhawks is the fact that they played their best game of the season on Wednesday night, and for the second straight game Jonathan Toews looked like his old self once again which is really encouraging.

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

Getting the Captain rolling on a nightly basis with Brandon Saad will make any deficit in the standings disappear after a few games and weeks.  It’s been a while since Toews has played a stretch of games where he’s tilting the ice in the Hawks favor every time he steps on to the rink, so to me this is the biggest thing that could help the Hawks start winning on a regular basis.

Of course the Jeff Glass story is fun and I want him to continue to play well, but if the Top line is playing like a top line the Chicago Blackhawks are a tough team to beat.

Here are some morning links to start your Friday morning. 

A Quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks prospects and their production (Blackhawks)

Hey look, the Captain is playing like the Captain once again (Tribune)

Here is what’s happening in Rockford (Faxes From Uncle Dale)

Two Chicago Blackhawks prospects were named to the AHL All-Star teams (Madhouse Enforcer)

What to watch for in tonight’s matchup against Vegas (CSN)

The Boston Bruins had to cancel their game because of snow (NESN)

Is it time for the Chicago Blackhawks to fire Kevin Dineen (Puck Prose)

The Predators would like to return to winning after a break slide (Predlines)

With the trade deadline approaching, what are the Stars weaknesses (Defending Big D)

Joe Thornton loses a chunk of his beard in a fight (Pro Hockey Talk)

Next: Who Could Stan Bowman Trade This Season

Looks like trade rumors helped the Montreal Captain bust out of a scoring slump (Puck Daddy)