The 9 key games left on the Blackhawks' schedule
With the NHL All-Star Game in the books, it's time to set our sights on the rest of the regular season.
And if you can believe it, there are only 29 games left for the Blackhawks until the playoffs begin.
The Hawks return to action Tuesday in Colorado and will be without captain Jonathan Toews, who will serve a one-game suspension for missing the All-Star Game due to illness.
In the meantime, this seems to be a good time to earmark a Pick Six of important dates leading up to the postseason.
4 games with Dallas Stars
Let's start by cheating a bit and highlighting four huge dates against the Dallas Stars. Two games are in Dallas (this Saturday and March 11), and two are at the United Center (Feb. 11 and March 22). These games against Patrick Sharp, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Johnny Oduya will help determine playoff seeding in the Central Division.
Feb. 21 at Minnesota
For the fourth time in seven seasons, the Hawks will play an outdoors game, this time at Minnesota's TCF Stadium. In addition to the main event, fans won't want to miss the alumni game the day before when former Hawks such as Jeremy Roenick, Denis Savard, Troy Murray, Eddie Olczyk and Ed Belfour play against a team of former Minnesota Wild and North Stars greats.
Feb. 28 vs. Washington
The Capitals' Braden Holtby is the only goaltender with more victories than Corey Crawford, so let's see how the Vezina Trophy candidates do in a head-to-head battle on national television in a game that starts at 11:30 a.m.
March 6 vs. Detroit
For the third straight Sunday, the national spotlight will shine on the Hawks as they host their former division rival for the only time this season. Brad Richards, who helped the Hawks win the Cup last season, returns to the UC as a member of the Red Wings.
March 14 vs. Los Angeles
Plenty of things could happen in the playoffs, but there's at least a decent chance that this could be a preview of the Western Conference finals.
April 7 vs. St. Louis
This is the second-to-last game of the season for both teams and may have huge playoff ramifications.
Scouting report
Blackhawks (33-16-4) vs. Colorado Avalanche (27-22-3) at Pepsi Center, 8 p.m. Tuesday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: Because he missed the All-Star Game due to illness, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews will serve a one-game suspension and miss this game. Watch for Teuvo Teravainen to center the top line in Toews' absence. ... Corey Crawford was named the NHL's second star for the month of January. He went 9-2-0 with a .952 save percentage and allowed 2 or fewer goals in 9 of his 11 appearances. ... The Avs won nine of their last 13 games before the all-star break with the last 3 victories coming against St. Louis, Dallas and Los Angeles. ... The Hawks have gone 1-1-1 against Colorado this season, winning the last meeting in Chicago 6-3 on Jan 10. ... Matt Duchene (23-19−42) and Nathan MacKinnon (18-23−41) are the Avs' leading scorers.
Next: Arizona Coyotes at Pepsi Center, 8 p.m. Thursday
- John Dietz