Chicago Blackhawks: Western Canada trip should be very interesting

The Chicago Blackhawks are on a four-game win streak. That is nice after losing 11 of their first 12 games. Derek King was hired to be the head coach a few weeks ago and they haven’t lost since. They have beaten some good teams and some weaker teams but now they have their biggest test of the season.

The Western Canada road trip is upon the Hawks. They will face the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, and Calgary Flames on Tuesday. Two of the three are looking like elite teams (Edmonton and Calgary) and the other one (Vancouver) will always give you a hard test because they have a few elite players.

Starting with Edmonton tonight, it is the hardest test of the trip. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have that team looking like a legit Stanley Cup contender. Those guys have a combined 63 points in Edmonton’s 16 games which is just crazy.

They are currently the two league’s leading scorers and look like they are going to run away with it. It is so difficult to play against them because they use speed to create chances. Even when you defend them properly, they still figure out ways so you can only hope to contain them enough to outscore them.

The Oilers game will also be the first time that Duncan Keith goes against his old Blackhawks team. It is in Edmonton so it won’t be as special as his first game at the United Center but it should still be a lot of fun to watch for that reason.

One night later, the weakest of the three teams will face the Hawks at home. Vancouver has a lot of issues but they are still capable of winning games thanks to the play of guys like Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, and J.T. Miller.

They are coming off a huge and impressive win over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday who is an elite team. They might not be playoff-bound but they can be difficult on any given night. A day after playing the Oilers, this game is tougher than the standings may show.

With a Monday off in between, they have the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. That game is loaded with stars as well but Darryll Sutter has that group playing so well. They play hard and a game that makes it difficult for their opponent to create chances.

When everybody on Calgary is bought in, the opponent can’t get much going. If you make a mistake, they have guys like Andrew Mangiapane, Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau, and Matthew Tkachuk amongst others to make you pay. This should be an incredible game to watch.

The Chicago Blackhawks are facing a big test as they roll through Western Canada.

For the Hawks, you can expect to see both goalies. If they are able to see their best players have good games, they could surprise some people. It is a very difficult road trip against good teams so winning more than losing would really make a statement.