Players to Watch: CHI vs DAL (2/7/21)
(Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks are headed to Dallas to play the Stars in a Sunday afternoon game. Dallas has had a good start to their season, and the Blackhawks are coming off of a win against the Hurricanes.
Chicago has picked up 6 points in their last 4 games - splitting the series with both Columbus and Carolina. Hopefully the positives from those 4 games carry over to Dallas where the Stars remain undefeated at home. Their record is 5-2-1 with 4 of those 5 wins coming at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas has played in 4 fewer games than the Blackhawks due to COVID postponements. So, while they have 1 less point, they’ve been the better team record-wise. Let’s take a look at goal differential to tell a better story.
Dallas has scored 32 goals and given up 21 for a DIFF of +11. Chicago has scored 35 goals and given up 39 for a DIFF of -4. It’s a bit concerning that The Blackhawks only have 3 more total goals on the season in 4 more games.
Sunday’s game will be the battle of the backups. Malcolm Subban will be in net for Chicago with Jake Oettinger getting the start for Dallas. The curse of the backup could go to either team. What chaos!
Here are your players to watch.
Mattias Janmark
Mattias Janmark is facing his former team in this series. He spent 4 seasons with the Stars including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final last season. It’s always interesting to see a player go up against their former team for the first time. Janmark has been a great addition to this Blackhawks team and has put up 8 points in 12 games. He could have a few more if some of his setups led to goals from his teammates. I’m looking for him to have a jump in his step as he returns to Dallas as the opponent.
Connor Murphy
The Dallas Stars are a team that can come in and score a bunch of goals - seemingly at will sometimes. The Blackhawks need their defense to be on top of their games in this series. With our most reliable defenders being Duncan Keith and Connor Murphy, I’m looking for him to stand out in his own zone.
Patrick Kane
Patrick Kane notched 4 points in Thursday’s game against the Hurricanes. He scored 1 goal of his own and assisted on 3 others. After a few less than stellar outings, it was great to see from #88. With Dallas being the high-powered team that they are, the Hawks are going to need Kane responding on the scoresheet as well.