We Should Know How Good The Blackhawks Are By Halloween

We talk about the Blackhawks kicking off the season TODAY this week on Redline Radio. Normally you say you know how good an NHL team is by American Thanksgiving. About two months of games. Since the lockout, teams that are in a playoff position on Thanksgiving make the postseason like 80% of the time. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule like the fucking 2018-19 St Louis Blues, but that is a pretty good rule of thumb. The Blackhawks though…we should know sooner

That is the first month of the season. Today in Prague against the Flyers. Then seven straight home games. SEVEN. And it’s not a normal homestand. It’s a homestand at the start of the season. What comes with a homestand…practice time. The Blackhawks, while the rest of the league is trying to iron out their systems and special teams and have new guys mesh together…the Hawks get to do so while sleeping in their own beds while getting WAY more on-ice practice time to work on those things than other teams in the league. That is a big advantage. An advantage, that if you’re good, should translate to points in the standings.

When you look at the teams on the schedule in October, it’s not exactly murderer’s row either. Vegas, Washington, and Nashville are probalby the other sure-fire playoff teams on the schedule at the beginning of the season. San Jose and Carolina probably are too, but the Sharks aren’t as scary to me this year as they were last year. There are points to be had in October with things set up the way they are. If we get to Halloween and the Hawks have stumbled out of the gate I will be white knuckling the rest of the season knowing that they they might not have what it takes. A hot start is HUGELY important for the Blackhawks. Need it. It starts today. Let’s fucking go.

PS: I will be watching the game at Declans in Old Town. Running a drink special deal for $30 all you can drink during the game. Come on out. Great way to start the season and the Weekend,

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