Chicago Blackhawks (22-27-9, 53 pts) @ Utah Mammoth (31-24-4, 66 pts)
3 pm CT \u2013 Delta Center
TV: CHSN (Ball\/Granato)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Grey\/Konroyd)<\/p>\n
The Chicago Blackhawks’ four-game road trip continues today in Salt Lake City, following a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche yesterday. They have dropped three in a row and have just one win in their last nine games. Meanwhile, the Mammoth are coming off a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday and have won three out of their last four games. This is an important game for Utah, as they currently hold the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. <\/p>\n
This is the first time these two teams have met since Oct. 13. Because the NHL schedule is always logical, they will play their final three games of their season series over the next 12 days. With the trade deadline on Friday, these two teams might look a little different when they meet again at the United Center a week from Monday. <\/p>\n
Offense at a Premium<\/p>\n
The Blackhawks have been offensively challenged for much of the season, but the first two games out of the Olympic break have been tough to watch. It\u2019s been Connor Bedard and nobody else. Somebody else needs to step up and provide some production. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to find a way to produce more offense, more chances,\u201d head coach Jeff Blashill said after Saturday\u2019s loss. \u201cSome of it comes down to execution; some of it comes down to, we\u2019ve got offensive guys that can produce, but they\u2019re probably not feeling it right now. So, we\u2019ve got to get their confidence going. You\u2019ve got to ultimately earn your confidence, so they\u2019re going to have to grind through it here and find a way to feel good about themselves with the puck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back on Oct. 13, the Blackhawks beat the Mammoth to earn their first victory of the season because of their depth scoring. Ilya Mikheyev scored twice, with Andre Burakovsky adding a third goal. Bedard and Frank Nazar were held to one combined shot attempt on the night, and they still found a way to win. They will need a similar team effort to get back in the win column today. <\/p>\n
No Demotion for Burakovsky<\/p>\n
Blashill talks a lot about accountability, and we\u2019ve seen plenty of examples. Artyom Levshunov has had a very short leash at times. Colton Dach has spent a lot of time watching from the pressbox of late. Accountability is good. You want that in your locker room. So, how come there is no accountability for Burakovsky?<\/p>\n
The veteran forward started off the season well, producing with Bedard. However, the last couple of months have been bad. Really bad. He\u2019s been a turnover machine, mishandling pucks on odd-man rushes, and flat out not producing. He has one assist in his last 15 games, and yet he will still be on the top line today. <\/p>\n
\u201cI would say he led us in scoring-chance plus\/minus differential last game,\u201d Blashill said last night. \u201cI don\u2019t know where he\u2019s going to fall tonight. At the end of the day, your game is a result of how much you created vs. how much you gave up. He\u2019ll stay with Bedsy, and we\u2019ll keep evaluating everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Burakovsky\u2019s best chance of producing is playing with Bedard, but he\u2019s not producing on his wing, what are we even doing here? <\/p>\n
Season Series <\/p>\n