Players to Watch: CHI vs CAR (3/30/21)
(Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks finished a horrible weekend against the Nashville Predators taking 0 of 4 points. Tonight, they face the Carolina Hurricanes. They need to win.
That will not be an easy task. Carolina has been the better team this season. And, the Blackhawks are clearly struggling to gain any momentum in the month of March. The Hurricanes currently sit second in the Central Division while the Blackhawks are in fifth. Not cool.
In 33 games played, the Carolina Hurricanes have a record of 23-7-3 for 49 points. In 36 games played, the Blackhawks have a record of 16-15-5 for 37 points.
Not ideal.
Let’s make it worse and take a look at goal differential!
Through 33 games, the Carolina Hurricanes have scored 112 goals while allowing 84 for a DIFF of +28.
Through 36 games, the Chicago Blackhawks have scored 104 goals while allowing 114 for a DIFF of -10.
Enough of the sad numbers, already!
Players to watch
Kevin Lankinen
Kevin Lankinen is back in the blue paint tonight. He suffered the 3-1 loss to Nashville on Saturday. That game followed his 3-0 shutout victory over the Florida Panthers. Hockey is weird. Hockey doesn’t make sense. It is what it is. As this season has shown us, the Blackhawks need their goaltender to play great for them to be in the game. Lankinen is a confident guy, and I’m sure those back-to-back losses this weekend bothered him (Subban earning the second). He’s been good at bouncing back so far. The Hawks need him to do so again tonight.
Alex DeBrincat
Alex DeBrincat scored the only two Blackhawks goals on Sunday. When we doesn’t get stuck over-passing and trying to force the puck to Kane, he can be lethal. The Blackhawks need him to come into this game with a shoot-first mentality. Hopefully he carries over the scoring touch from Sunday.
Calvin de Haan
This one is simple. Please, please, pretty please can we not have another puck go in the back of the Blackhawks net off of de Haan.