Chicago Blackhawks: Upcoming Schedule Will Be a Headache

The Chicago Blackhawks are in a tough spot to start the season and things won’t get much easier.

The Chicago Blackhawks are currently on the tail-end of a 7 game homestand. Which came right after a trip overseas to play against the Philadelphia Flyers.

As fun as it would be to have long home stands, and to play overseas like the Blackhawks did this season, it does come at a consequence. Chicago will finish this homestand with 8 games under their belt for the season, and they will only have played one road game.

Chicago will also have games in hand compared to other teams, meaning they will have to make up games later in the year. The Blackhawks are going to be playing catch up for a long time. That is not ideal for a team that intends to compete for a playoff spot.

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Chicago is not going to have an easy go of things later in the year either, they will only play 3 home games during the month of February. They also have 6 different sets of times where the team will play 3 games in 4 days.

Another point is because the Blackhawks have so many games at home, now they will need to play catch up on the road. The Blackhawks are going to have 3 road trips of at least 4 games this season. Now, I know I am complaining about the Chicago Blackhawks need to play games on the road and it is not the best argument.

However, put yourself in their shoes. After playing the Winnipeg Jets on the road on February 9th, the team will need to leave and get ready for a game in Edmonton on the 11th. Following that game, you might see a team fly home that night to sleep in their own beds, not this time.

The Blackhawks will go to Vancouver to play the Canucks the next day. Things won’t end there for the Blackhawks, they will play Calgary and Winnipeg back-to-back one more time before returning to their own beds.

I know it is just the schedule and we can’t control it, but at the end of the day, the Chicago Blackhawks would be better off without their season homestand to start the year.

A long homestand is something you want during the middle of the year, so that you can get your legs under you again and get some much-needed rest. It is not something you need within the first 3 weeks of the season.

At the end of the day, the Chicago Blackhawks need to do what they can with the schedule they have. A 7 game homestand would have been a great opportunity to get a bump in the standings, but 6 games into the homestand the team is 2-2-2, not the best record. Looks like we will be playing catch up for a while.