The Hawks return to the United Center tonight with hopes of turning things around. They are currently on a 3-game losing streak that has seen them get outscored 12-3. This wasn’t a team that was expected to do much this season, but you have to expect more from the forward unit. This team currently sits 30th in the league for shots per game played; they are 29th in the league in scoring chances with 459; and they are 31st in high danger scoring chances with just 162. I think that last stat is important because it shows that this team is not getting the puck to the net and making things hard for the opposing goalies. This team seems hellbent on making those extra passes to make the “pretty play." Teams have been able to pick up on this and have forced the Hawks to play within the perimeter of the zone, making their lives much easier to defend. Connor Bedard leads the team with 71 shots, and then the next closest player is Seth Jones with 51 shots and zero goals. This team needs more from a lot of forwards, including Raddysh, who was supposed to be taking on a bigger role with this team, and Reichel, who laid the groundwork last year to get the NHL ready and seems to be on a factory reset. This team can't sit back and just let Bedard be Bedard, and while my expectations are low for this team, it does take away from the fact that I am growing frustrated watching this team not do the simple parts of the game.
They face off against the Nashvillie Predators in a few hours, and they will hopefully get one back as they dropped their first meeting 4-2 in Nashville. The Preds are by no means a great team, but they are coming into this one with some confidence after winning seven of their last 10 games.
Projected Line-Up:
Blackhawks lines in morning skate vs. Predators have Reichel back in, but on the fourth line:
I am excited to see Beauvillier back in the line-up after an impressive first game with the team in Winnipeg. That new-look first line looked great, and hopefully, if they get things going, they will be able to spark something with the rest of the team. Reichel is back in the lineup after taking a healthy scratch last game; he is slotted in on the fourth line. I don’t know if that’s going to work for him to get things going. He seems to be the type of player who needs the top six minutes to find his game. You almost have to wonder if a short stint up in Rockford might be what he needs to find his game and confidence.
World Juniors
As of writing, the Hawks have seven players who have made their respective countries initial WJC rosters.
Team USA: Nazar, Moore, Hayes, and Rinzel
Team Slovakia: Gajan and Misiak
Team Cananda: Ludwinski
That’s going to be it for me; puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. Central, and as always, let's go Hawks!
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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