When will the Blackhawks finally win their first game?

The Chicago Blackhawks are winless after their first three games, losing three road contests to Vegas, Utah, and Buffalo. On Tuesday, the club will play its home opener against the St. Louis Blues, who have split their first two games, before heading to Long Island to face the New York Islanders on Thursday. After that single game, the Blackhawks will play seven straight at home, which begs the question: When will Chicago secure its first victory of the 2026-27 season?

Blackhawks upcoming schedule is loaded with Stanley Cup contenders

The Blues restocked their offensive attack over the offseason and shut out the Dallas Stars in their opener before getting blown out by the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Colorado Avalanche. At first glance, the Blues seem like the team the Blackhawks could beat by a goal or two for their first win. However, Jordan Binnington is 11-3-1 against Chicago in his career, so if the Blackhawks don’t pick up their first win on Tuesday night at the United Center, they will have to pull off an upset to get their first two points. 

If Binnington gets the best of the Blackhawks, they'll face Vezina Trophy finalist Ilya Sorokin later in the week, who has a 4-2-1 record against the Original Six club. Through two games, the Islanders are 1-1-0, and their No. 1 goalie has allowed just two goals, posting a 1.10 GAA before his next start. If Sorokin gets the night off, Chicago could face Semyon Varlamov, who hasn’t played yet this season and is 15-6-4 against the Blackhawks in his career. With the chance to face a rusty goalie, Chicago could get its first win of the year if it shuts down Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer. 

If the Blackhawks are still hunting for that first win, it won’t be easy during the home stand. First up on Saturday is reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina, who started with the usual “championship hangover” but are already finding their way and are too strong from top to bottom. Ultimately, Chicago can only win in an upset, but as expected, Carolina is 5-0-1 against the Blackhawks in the Connor Bedard era. 

After the Hurricanes, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in town, giving fans another chance to see Sidney Crosby, who has only 16 points against Chicago, the lowest among teams he’s played at least 10 times. Yet since Mike Sullivan left the bench, the club has experienced a resurgence and qualified for the playoffs last year. As of this writing, they are undefeated this season through two games. 

Blackhawks' best opportunities may come in the middle of home stand

On October 15, the Winnipeg Jets, minus former Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, come to town, which would be one of the Blackhawks' best chances to pick up a win. As a long-time tormentor of the Original Six club, the multi-time Vezina Trophy winner is suspended after requesting a trade and failing to report to camp. The Jets are weaker without Hellebuyck, of course, but they are still competitive, with lethal scorers like Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. 

Immediately following the Jets contest, the Blackhawks host the current winless Stars, who will either be looking for their first victory or be on a win streak and on the path back to their usual spot among the top teams in the Central Division. Ultimately, Chicago should prepare for an unusually hostile Dallas team, which isn't used to being so low in the standings.

The Blackhawks will have a lengthy five-day break from October 18 to 22, before welcoming an Original Six rival, the Montreal Canadiens, to the Windy City. Last year, the Canadiens finally broke out with a young lineup hungry to return to a deep playoff run. They have snipers and a very offensively gifted defenseman in Lane Hudson, posing a threat on both ends of the ice. 

Once Montreal leaves, the Florida Panthers come to town for a Sunday afternoon contest. Even without captain Aleksander Barkov, they now have both Matthew and Brady Tkachuk in their lineup and are set on regaining their spot among the league’s elite with a monster bounceback season. Finally, to end the homestand, the Blackhawks will host the Los Angeles Kings, who have a new coach and have yet to win a game as of this writing. Will they be in a different position at the end of October, or still searching for ways out of an early-season slump? 

No matter which angle fans look at the upcoming October schedule, there are no easy games, and every night will be a fight, whether it’s a close game or a blowout. Eventually, Chicago will win a game and then piece together a win streak. Most likely, they will have more success when Bedard returns. So until then, everyone needs to be patient as the team sorts itself out, along with so many other teams who are on the upcoming schedule. 

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