The Chicago Blackhawks face the Winnipeg Jets with both teams off to strong starts to the season. The Blackhawks have a 5-4-2 record while the Jets have a 6-3-1 record and are in second place in the Central Division. Both teams are fighting for position in the Central Division and the Western Conference, making the upcoming game a pivotal one for both teams.
The Blackhawks are off to a promising start to the season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.09 goals per game. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have scored nine goals and 10 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Jason Dickinson, Max Domi, and Sam Lafferty have combined for 11 goals and 10 assists while Andreas Athanasiou, Taylor Raddysh, and Philipp Kurashev have added eight goals and 10 assists to the backend of the forward unit to give the Blackhawks multiple great lines.
The offense has stepped up but the defense has struggled, allowing 3.09 goals per game including 18 goals in the last five games. Connor Murphy and Jake McCabe have combined for 1.4 defensive point shares and 51 blocked shots but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to easily find open shots on the net. The bright spot has been the play of goaltender Alex St alock who has a .914 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average on 187 shots