Chicago Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Chicago Blackhawks, NHL or NHLPA
Chicago Blackhawks face what could be their biggest test of the season Sunday
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Chicago Blackhawks are 5th in the Central Division and will have their biggest test of the season on Sunday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
Jared Bednar and the Colorado Avalanche were the team to dethrone the Tampa Bay Lightning dynasty in 2022; since then, the team has been a perennial contender and a dominant force in the West.
For the Blackhawks, who are running a younger, revamped lineup with a new head coach in Jeff Blashill, facing the Avalanche will be a tough test for the team.
It'll be a test of Blashill's systems and the Blackhawks' mental fortitude. The Blackhawks are 10-7-4 and lost a devastating game to the Buffalo Sabres (9-3).
The challenge will be to find a way to play the game the best way they know how. With Connor Bedard given a captain's patch and being one of the NHL's points leaders this season, this shouldn't be a concern.
In 21 games this season, Bedard has scored 31 points (13-18), and he's finally "arrived."
But the true test will be defending the United Center and goaltender Spencer Knight (.922 save percentage) from the barrage of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas.
The Avalanche come into the Blackhawks' home territory with a record of 15-1-5 under Bednar, and Bedard's sentiment sounds familiar.
«We go into every game thinking we're going to win,» Blackhawks center Connor Bedard said. «We go into every third period thinking we're going to win. We just believe in ourselves, believe in each other. I think that also comes from just being a tight group and a group that wants to play for each other. That stuff helps too.»
The third-period remark reminds us of the wisdom Captain Nick Foligno has imparted to the team in the past on an episode of the team's YouTube show "Every Shift."
Instead of playing just in the third, they will have to play a full sixty minutes against the Avalanche.
The Blackhawks' own stat line when they're tied against an opponent in the third is 3-2-3, not too promising from an outsider's perspective.
The team will need effort from everyone, including the usual suspects like Tyler Bertuzzi, who's been on a hot streak.
While Spencer Knight will have to patrol the crease with the intent to deny the Avalanche a chance to generate chances off of rebounds and shut down Nathan MacKinnon.
TRENDING NOW
