What to expect from the Blackhawks home opener vs Detroit

The Chicago Blackhawks have played their first three games of the season, but all of which were on the road. They are set to play their home opener Friday against the Detroit Red Wings, a once familiar foe. After a 1-2 start, here are a few things we might see out of the Blackhawks at the United Center.

The Blackhawks were missing one of their big signings from the 2021 offseason in Jake McCabe, but he is set to make his season debut in the home opener. He gives a rather thin defensive core a much-needed boost, but I wouldn't expect him to play a ton of minutes right away. He is set to be paired with Caleb Jones, who was also acquired in the 2021 offseason in the Duncan Keith trade, and impressed last season in a limited number of games. Jones is also in line to make his first appearance of this season.

I would like to see more activity out of the first forward line of Athanasiou-Domi-Kane. It seems like Luke Richardson is going to stick with them together again, but they have been relatively ineffective so far. I think they will be more aggressive against Detroit and create more chances. Patrick Kane is set to play in his 16th home opener for Chicago, games where he has 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists).

Coming off their first win of the season against the San Jose Sharks, I expect the team to continue to build chemistry and build off an impressive win on the road.