Looking at the Chicago Blackhawks 2011-2012 Schedule (October)

The NHL has released the 2011-2012 schedule and the Blackhawks and their fans are looking it over, hoping that their beloved Hawks are able to find that spark and get back into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Hawks will face Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins in the first month of the season as well as some of their division rivals.

The following is a look at the Blackhawks' schedule for the month of October with some insight into the teams that they play, what their record against that team was last year and how things might end up.

October 7th-Chicago at Dallas

The Blackhawks didn’t end up playing well against the Stars last season as they went 1-3 in four games against them, but it’s a new year.  It would be a great way to start the season if the Blackhawks could beat the Stars and get their first win of the season to start things off right.

October 8-Dallas at Chicago

The Stars and the Blackhawks will flip flop locations and the Stars will come to Chicago for the Blackhawks first home game of the new season.  If Chicago can take these two games from Dallas they will certainly start the season off right.

October 13th-Winnipeg at Chicago

The Jets (formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers) and the Blackhawks played each other once last year and the Blackhawks won that game.  The Jets are a new team in a new city and it would be great if Chicago could hand them a loss in their first meeting of the season.  The Blackhawks will also get to see former Blackhawks star Dustin Byfuglien again, making this an interesting matchup.

October 15th-Boston at Chicago

The Blackhawks will face last year’s Stanley Cup Champion, the Boston Bruins, early on in the season.  The Blackhawks and the Bruins played each other once last season and Boston beat the Blackhawks in that lone game.  Can the Blackhawks upend the Bruins and give themselves a big victory to start the season?

October 18th-Chicago at Phoenix

The Blackhawks will head to the southwest to take on the Coyotes just past the mid-point of the month.  Last season, the Coyotes and the Blackhawks met five times and the Blackhawks just edged the Coyotes, winning three games to the Coyote’s two.  Phoenix looks to be a better team this coming season, but the Blackhawks should be able to win this early contest.

October 20th-Chicago at Colorado

The Blackhawks will travel over to the Mountain Time zone to take on the Colorado Avalanche as the month of October starts to come to a close.  The Blackhawks and the Avalanche met four times last season and Colorado gained a three to one advantage over the Blackhawks.

If Chicago is going to have success in 2011 they need to get past the Avalanche.  Colorado does look to be at the least a little better this season, so the Blackhawks will have their work cut out for them.  

October 22nd-Colorado at Chicago

The Avalanche and the Blackhawks will trade venues and take on one another for the second straight game.  If Chicago can get two wins here they will get a solid start to the new season. 

October 25th-Anaheim at Chicago

The Ducks of Anaheim will travel to Chicago as the month comes to a close to take on the Blackhawks.  Last year, these two teams played one another four times and they split the series two wins a piece. 

The Blackhawks and the Ducks have always played each other tough and that will continue this season.  Chicago needs to get a win here to finish the month strong and stay up in their division. 

October 28th-Chicago at Carolina

The Blackhawks will head south to take on the Hurricanes.  These two teams played one another once and Chicago won that game.  The Blackhawks need to win this game to help keep them on a winning pace for the month.

October 29th-Columbus at Chicago

The Blue Jackets head north and west to Chicago to take the Blackhawks on for the first time during the season.  These two teams played against one another a total of six times last season and the Blackhawks ended up winning four of those games.

The Blackhawks and the Blue Jackets play each other several times a season, so this will be the first game in a series to go on throughout the 2011-2012 NHL season.  The Blackhawks need to get a good start in the series, so a win here would be big.

October 31st-Nasville at Chicago

The Blackhawks will close out the month of October with a Halloween visit to Nashville to take on the Predators.  These two teams met six times last year and both teams won three games a piece.  Ending the month strong could help propel the Blackhawks to a strong start to the month of November.

A win here would be a good thing at the end of October.