Chicago Blackhawks Season Preview: February

The Chicago Blackhawks, along with every other team in the NHL, will enter the month of February with one goal in mind and that’s improving their chances of getting into the NHL playoffs. The Blackhawks will keep their playoff hopes alive this month and work towards making another run at the Stanley Cup a reality.

To start off the month, the Hawks will travel to Columbus to take on the Bluejackets.  This is the first of two games that the Blackhawks will play against the Bluejackets.  Their second game against them will be at home near the middle of the month. Last season, the Blackhawks played the Bluejackets five times, winning three out of those five games.  

The Blackhawks will continue their long road trip by heading to Vancouver to take on the Canucks. These two teams played four times last season and the Canucks took a 3-1 advantage over the Blackhawks, so Chicago will have to figure out a way to beat Vancouver to help them keep their run towards the playoffs alive and going strong.

Following their game with the Canucks, the Blackhawks will travel to Calgary to take on the Flames. In games against the Flames last season, the Blackhawks held a four to zero advantage and hope that they can do the same this year. This game is also part of a long road trip, as well, so every win the Blackhawks get will be important.

Chicago travels to Edmonton to play the Oilers next. Last season, the Oilers and the Blackhawks played in a total of four games, winning all four, and it doesn’t look like the Oilers will be that much better next season. Look for the Blackhawks to win this game and keep moving on towards the playoffs.

Following their away game in Edmonton, the Blackhawks will travel to Dallas to take on the Stars. The Blackhawks and Stars played a total of four games last season splitting the total at two a piece. 

After playing the Stars, Chicago will finish up their long road trip by heading to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes. They will also play the Coyotes again towards the end of the month. Last season, the Blackhawks split four games with the Coyotes. Phoenix should be better this coming season, but the Blackhawks should still be able to win the majority of their games against them.

The Blackhawks will play their first home game in a while when they host the Minnesota Wild near the middle of the month. They will also play the Wild at Minnesota in their last game of February. During the 2009-2010 season, these two teams met three times, with the Blackhawks earning a 2-1 advantage in those games. They play the Wild several times next season and need to take advantage of these games as many times as they can to help get them into the playoffs.

Next, the Pittsburgh Penguins come to the United Center to battle the Blackhawks. These two teams met once last season and the Blackhawks won that game. After they host the Penguins, the Blackhawks will travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues. 

Last season, the Blues and the Blackhawks met a total of five times, with the Blackhawks having a 3-2 edge. Things are always interesting when these two teams get together and this should be a good one.

The Blackhawks will take on the Nashville Predators in Nashville close to the end of the month. During last season, the Blackhawks and the Predators played six games, splitting their series at three wins a piece. Chicago will need to get past the Predators in each and every game that they play this season in order to make the playoffs.

The following is a look at the Blackhawks complete schedule for February:

February 1st: Chicago at Columbus
February 4th: Chicago at Vancouver
February 7th: Chicago at Calgary
February 9th: Chicago at Edmonton
February 11th: Chicago at Dallas
February 12th: Chicago at Phoenix
February 16th: Minnesota at Chicago
February 18th: Columbus at Chicago
February 20th: Pittsburgh at Chicago
February 21st: Chicago at St. Louis
February 24th: Chicago at Nashville
February 27th: Phoenix at Chicago
February 28th: Chicago at Minnesota