The Colorado Avalanche (0-0) will begin their title defense when they play the Chicago Blackhawks in their season opener on Wednesday night. The Blackhawks finished the 2021 season with a 56-19-7 record en route to winning the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks finished with a 28-42-12 record, which was 14th in the Western Conference.
Colorado is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games against Chicago.
The Blackhawks struggled last season and dealt with distractions on and off the ice. They replaced head coach Derek King in June, replacing him with long-time assistant Luke Richardson, who they are hoping will help the team get back in contention. But, with the team in a rebuilding season, they will have to be patient with him as they take their lumps this season.
Chicago lost F Dominik Kubalik, G Kevin Lankinen, F Dylan Strome, F Alex Debrincat, F Kirby Dach, D Calvin De Haan, and D Erik Gustafsson in the offseason, and added F Andreas Athanasiou, F Colin Blackwell, F Max Domi, D Jack Johnson.
Chicago was near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories last season. They averaged 2.60 goals per game and converted 19.2 percent of their Power Play opportunities, which was 21st in the league.
Patrick Kane had a resurgent season and le d the team with 92 points from 26 goals and 66 assists. Alex DeBrincat had 78 points from 41 goals and 37 assists, while Seth Jones had 51 points from five goals and 46 assists.
Chicago struggled defensively last season giving up 3.52 goals per game. They also struggled on special teams, killing only 76.2 percent of their penalties, which was 26th in the league. They will need to play well on all three ends if they want to be successful this season.