Chicago Blackhawks Travel to Florida in Search of First Win and Themselves

January 19, 2021 06:46 am

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While it was clear that the Chicago Blackhawks were entering into a rebuilding season, this is certainly not the way the team would have liked to start the season. Three games played, three losses. Florida, on the other hand, will be looking to remain undefeated by beating Chicago in the second straight game.

US Sportsbook betting lines unsurprisingly have the Blackhawks as underdogs once again.

Chicago Blackhawks

The games the Blackhawks have played so far have not been pretty either. In the season’s first three games, Chicago has lost by a total of ten goals. These results have Chicago in last place in the Central Division ahead of only the Stars who have yet to play.

This game will be Chicago’s second against the Florida Panthers. The Blackhawks lost that game 5-2 last Sunday. Energy and desire is seriously lacking this Chicago team, who look ready to already accept a last place finish before the season even gets going.

Goaltending and defense have stalled the team more than anything. Teams are just flying through the backend like it doesn’t even exist. With a decent offense going for them, Chicago will need to wake its defense up and find a trustworthy starting goalie to begin truly competing. And this could take some time.

Florida Panthers

The team from Florida that did not win the Stanley Cup last season has started this one with a win against Chicago last Sunday. With the same matchup in hand tonight, Florida will be looking for the same result. The Panthers thrived in the third period to put away Chicago, scoring three of its five goals.

Probably the highlight from the game would be how well Florida moved the puck. Three to four passes finding open nets multiple times showed great chemistry on the offensive front.

Even though this was just the first game of the season, it was still a promising display. One that the Panthers will certainly want to keep up and should expect to do against this struggling Chicago team. Goaltending was solid as well for Florida, as Chris Driedger was able to stifle most of the opposing threats.

Chicago at Florida Game Analysis

While the game could go either way, there is nothing to really suggest that anything will change tonight. Chicago’s goaltending dilemma remains for at least one more game, and until someone steps and proves themselves a starter, they will continue to allow a lot more than the team scores.

The defense is certainly not helping the goalies either, and this game should serve as another for Florida’s offense to get plenty of opportunities and confidence early in the season. If the Blackhawks do not make major changes to its game and find the motivation to play, it will be a long game and season.

With a shortened NHL season, time is running out quickly for the Chicago team to find themselves on the ice. In any case, the Panthers should see no problems beating Chicago for the second straight time, on its way to a 2-0 record to begin 2021.

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