The Chicago Blackhawks face the Carolina Hurricanes with both teams heading in opposite directions to start the season. The Blackhawks have an 8-20-4 record and with only two wins in their last 10 games, have fallen into last place in the Central Division. The Hurricanes have a 22-6-6 record and win eight wins in a row, boast the best record in the Metropolitan Division. The Blackhawks are looking to climb out of the bottom of the Central Division while the Hurricanes look to remain one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Blackhawks are having an awful season with their offense struggling and scoring only 2.34 goals per game with only 10 goals in the last five games. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Max Domi have scored 27 goals and 41 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four skaters have scored six goals or more while only seven skaters have seven assists or more and opposing defenses can eliminate the hapless offense as a result.
The offense has been awful but the defense has also let the Blackhawks down, allowing 3.75 goals per game with 28 goals in the last six games. Jake McCabe and Connor Murphy have combined for 3.4 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. In addition, goaltender Petr Mrazek has struggled in the net with a .874 save percentage and a 4.23 goals-against average on 381 shots.