The Chicago Blackhawks face the New York Rangers with both teams looking to improve from difficult starts to the season. The Blackhawks have a 6-12-4 record and have only won one of their last 10 games while the Rangers have an 11-9-4 record and are in the middle of the Metropolitan Division. Both teams are looking to improve within their divisions and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Blackhawks are off to a rough start to the season with their offense struggling and scoring only 2.55 goals per game. Patrick Kane, Max Domi, and Jonathan Toews have scored 18 goals and 28 assists but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four skaters have scored five goals or more while only four skaters have added six assists or more and opposing defenses can eliminate the hapless offense as a result.
The offense has struggled but the defense has unraveled, allowing 3.68 goals per game including 35 goals in the last seven games. Jake McCabe and Connor Murphy have combined for 2.4 defensive point shares and 96 blocked shots but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to easily find open shots on the net. In addition, goaltender Petr Mrazek has struggled in the net with a .878 save percentage and a 4.27 goals-against average on 271 shots.