Now that we’ve laid out what we think about the Hawks, it’s probably time to peruse the other squads they’ll actually be competing with in the division and the West. And looking around, it’s hard to find a team that has taken a huge step forward to a point these Hawks can’t reach (assuming everything goes right for them). The only one that looks poised for a major leap, while knowing that one or two teams will get one through luck or weirdness, is Dallas. But Dallas looked like that last year, and it doesn’t look like they’ll take a big enough jump to overtake the Hawks. Let’s get through it all.
The Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, are breaking camp and winging it to the West Coast to begin the 2015-16 campaign. Rockford is coming off of a strong season that saw them reach the Western Conference Semifinal.
Coach Ted Dent is back at the helm of another group of Hawks prospects peppered with skaters who’ve been around the AHL block. How’s this group gonna fare over the next seven or eight months? Let’s take a look…
vs. 
FACEOFF: 6pm Central
TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio 720
THERE AIN’T NO MONORAIL AND THERE NEVER WAS: Die By The Blade
I’m not even sure this one needs much of a preview. It couldn’t be clearer that both teams, at least among their management, want the same thing tonight. That is a Hawks win. This seems such an oddly-scheduled game, as I would have thought for the last two weeks the NHL would have wanted to keep schedule intra-conference to really hop up playoff races. But then that would be logical, and we all know what we’re dealing with when it comes to his league.
Few things floating in space today. Let’s clean them up.
-While the main goal of these last five weeks is tightening up the Hawks’ game and that alone, so that they hit the playoffs with momentum and a confidence, that doesn’t mean things aren’t up for grabs in the Central. Because of the Preds regression, anything is possible here. Though thanks to the Wild’s surge, there now really isn’t anything you’d call a “good” matchup. If you think getting the Wild at any point in the playoffs will be easy, then you’re very much mistaken.
vs. 
FACEOFF: 7pm
TV/RADIO: CSN for the 606, NHLN-US for non, WGN Radio 720
COLDER THAN A WELL DIGGER’S ASS: Arctic Ice Hockey
COMMITTED INDIAN ROADWATCH TONIGHT AT BOTTOM LOUNGE
(1375 W. Lake St)
Seems strange but this is the first visit the Hawks have into Manitoba this season. I believe Arizona is the only other Western Conference city the Hawks have yet to travel to, and they’re out of the division. And this shapes up as a pretty big one for a variety of reasons: how the Hawks’ trip and specifically the last game have gone, the Jets current spiral, and the utter goofiness that’s taking place up there.
So I didn’t get through the whole Central before the season started. Whoops. There were things to do. Luckily all we have left are the two teams that are most certainly going to be the also-rans in this division, unless Peter Laviolette can find leftover Trotz elixir and sprinkle it on his Preds. Am I half-assing this? Yes, of course. But no more so than the Jets spent building their team, so I don’t feel too bad about it.
This is a feature we’re going to try to do about once a month, maybe a little more often. We’ve gathered out blogging friends from around the division to give us a little more insight from those in the know about the teams the Hawks are competing with. Without further ado, this roundtable’s question is what can we expect from each team this season:
Leahy looks at the new deal, including the end of 12/26 at the UC: PD
Here are the 26 in camp: BH
Does Bolland to 2C feel a little like Hester to WR to anyone else?: ESPNChi
Want to make me happy, here’s an idea WIN GAMES: CSN
The farm is fairly stocked: HF
A closer look at the teams we hate: CtA
Bergevin and Les Habitants send Gomez home: PHT
hahahahhahahahah… but no really ahahahahahaha good luck with that hahahaha: NM
