The Chicago Blackhawks are on their best run in 27 years. Chicago has won their last seven games, and are 8-1-1 in their last ten. If they can win their post-break game against Philadelphia, they will go for the Blackhawks franchise record against the Minnesota Wild on December 28th. Led by right wing Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks are making at run at the division lead. The New Years Day matchup against the Detroit Red Wings may have a lasting effect on who wins the Central.

Chicago Blackhawks Tickets and NHL Winter Classic Tickets are available now!

The NHL Winter Classic, hockey’s annual outdoor game, is coming to Wrigley field this season. Unlike last year’s Pittsburgh/Buffalo affair, the 2009 Classic may have implications in the results of the Western Conference Central Division.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings have stepped it up recently. Both teams have fought through tough schedules to put up 7-1-2 records in the past ten, and have largely avoided the injury bug. With a game in hand, Chicago trails Detroit by 7 points - though the teams have had similar seasons so far. Red Wings RW Marian Hossa leads the team with 24 points, while Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane has 25.

NHL Winter Classic Tickets are available now, as are Chicago Blackhawks Tickets and Detroit Red Wings Tickets

Despite a slow and sloppy start to last night’s game against the Dallas Stars, the Chicago Blackhawks were able to turn it around in the second half of the game, eventually winning 6-3.  Dallas got it going early, scoring the first goal and outshooting Chicago 10-1 at one point.  Brenden Morrow got the lone first period goal for the Stars at the 7:37 mark.  The Blackhawks were able to tie it up at the end of the first on a wrist shot by Patrick Kane.

The Blackhawks would play a more involved and intense game in the second period.  They took their first lead of the night on Ben Eager’s second period goal assisted by Dave Bolland.  A Stars’ power play goal by Mike Modano would even the score at 2 apiece just one minute later.  Near the end of the second period, Chicago rookie Kris Versteeg broke a 3-3 tie with a power play goal.  Chicago would hang on to this lead for good adding two goals in the third period from Martin Havlat and Patrick Kane.

The Blackhawks will play their next four on the road before returning to the United Center on 12/3 to host the Anaheim Ducks.  Chicago Blackhawks tickets are available for all 2008-2009 games now.

The Boston Bruins finally got on the winning side of a shootout when they beat the Chicago Blackhawks last night at the United Center.  P.J. Axelsson got the winning goal in the OT shootout to seal the 2-1 win for Boston.  The win puts the Bruins at 7-1-0 in their last eight games, good for a first place tie with the rival Buffalo Sabres.  The Blackhawks who have also been playing superb hockey had their winning streak snapped at four.

There was very little offense to speak of in this matchup last night. There was no scoring until 19:06 of the second period when Marco Sturm scored a power play goal for Boston. The Chicago Blackhawks tied the game in the third period on a goal by Jonathan Toews.

The Bruins will host the Montreal Canadiens on 11/13. They then travel to New York to play the Rangers and Toronto before returning to the TD Banknorth Garden to host the Buffalo Sabres on 11/19. Bruins tickets are available for all remaining games.

The Blackhawks play their next two at home. On 11/14 they host the St. Louis Blues and on 11/16 they welcome in the San Jose Sharks. Chicago Blackhawks tickets are available for both of these games.

The 6-3-3 Chicago Blackhawks are anxious to play some hockey on Sunday. Since their 6-2 win on Monday night, Chicago has had five days off.  They’ll play the Calgary Flames on Sunday 11/8. Monday’s win over the Avalanche was the third straight for the Blackhawks who have had no trouble putting the puck in the net lately. The Blackhawks have outscored their opponents 15-7 in the last three games.

The Blackhawks will play their next four games at home. After hosting the Flames on Sunday the Boston Bruins will come in on Wednesday 11/12.  Blackhawks tickets are available for all upcoming home games.

The Chicago Blackhawks got their fifth win of the year in a 4-3 shoot-out with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blackhawks started the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead on 1st and 2nd period goals by Patrick Sharp and Brent Seabrook. The Blue Jackets continued to pressure the Blackhawks and were able to score twice in the 3rd. Havlat would add the 3rd goal for Chicago on a power play.

Overall the Blue Jackets hammered the net with shots, shooting on goal 51 times. Huet’s 48 stops were the most in his NHL career. Jonathan Toews was the lone goal scorer in the OT shoot-out securing the win for Chicago.

Chicago Blackhawks tickets are available for all remaining games at the United Center. Check out some upcoming Blackhawks games below.

Chicago Blackhawks Upcoming Games:
Blackhawks vs Avalanche 11/3
Blackhawks vs Flames 11/9
Blackhawks vs Bruins 11/12
Blackhawks vs Blues 11/14
Blackhawks vs Sharks 11/16

During January of next year the friendly confines of Wrigley Field will play host to the annual outdoor NHL game; the NHL Winter Classic. The Chicago Blackhawks will be matched up against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. Last year’s Classic featured the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres, and was played at Ralph Wilson stadium. The game set the NHL attendance record at 71,217, and was one of the most-watched NHL games in history.

Blackhawks executives hope that the 2009 Classic will resonate with the fans like the previous edition. The birds-eye-view camera angles and falling snow created an atmosphere that hockey fans raved about.

Prior to a Cubs game, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the classic will be played on January 1st at Wrigley.

 2009 NHL Winter Classic Tickets are available now!

Forget about summer, it’s free-agent signing season in the NHL. Over the past few days, rumors have been flying around about what market will land the big names out there like Jaromir Jagr and Mats Sundin.

Sundin was reportedly offered a 2-year, $20 million dollar contract from the Vancouver Canucks, a deal that would make him the leagues highest paid player.

“We put a major offer together to try and attract the player we felt was the best center iceman on the market,” said Canucks GM Mark Gillis. “It’s an indication we are prepared to do what it takes to attract the best players here.”

The big signing of today was by far the Detroit Red Wings landing Marian Hossa to a one-year deal worth reportedly $7.45 million dollars. The high-scoring wingman was one of the top players who propelled the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup finals, which they lost to Detroit in six games. Hossa is 29 years old.

The Chicago Blackhawks made two big signings landing probably the top defensemen on the market in Brian Campbell as well as goalie Cristobal Huet. Campbell signed an eight-year $57.12 million dollar deal and Huet inked a four-year contract worth $22.5 million.

The two other big defensemen to reach deals Tuesday were Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden, who both signed with the New York Rangers.

Rozsival re-signed with the Rangers for a four-year contract worth $20 million while Redden signs a six-year, $39 million dollar deal after skating with Ottawa last season.

Defensemen Jeff Finger, formerly of the Colorado Avalanche, signed a four-year $14 million dollar deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dallas landed forward Sean Avery to a four-year, $15.5 million dollar deal.

“We are excited about the opportunity to add a player like Sean Avery to our group,” Stars co-general manager Brett Hull said. “His ability to play the game with skill and tenacity makes us a better team and is a great complement to the players we have here.”

The Washington Capitals will say goodbye to longtime goalie Olie Kolzig after he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning after spending 16 seasons in Washington.

The New Jersey Devils got their hands in the mix of the free agent pool by signing Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik to contracts. Rolston agreed to a four-year, $20 million dollar deal while Holik signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million dollars.

The New York Islanders made a little noise by singing Montreal’s former defensemen Mark Streit to a five-year $20.5 million dollar contract while the Boston Bruins also signed a former Canadien in Michael Ryder to a multi-year deal.

With the NHL salary cap rising up this season, teams have not been shy about dishing out the money to lure top free-agents to their squads. Over the next two weeks, look for almost every free agent out there to receive offers from teams trying to help the players find a new place they can call home.

Recap – It’s always tough to have a winning percentage above .500 and to still be in last place in your division. Welcome to the world of the Chicago Blackhawks. Recently, goaltender Patrick Lalime has stepped up to replace the original starting net-minder Nikolia Khabibulin. Prior to losing his starting job, Khabibulin had lost his last 6 decisions in net. In order for this team to win more games, they need a little more consistency from Lalime then what they were getting before he took over as the starter. Offensively, Chicago is not very flashy, but very consistent putting the puck in the net.

2nd Half – So far this season, rookie center Jonathan Towes has been phenomenal in his 36 games. With 15 goals and 17 assists, he is almost averaging a point a game, and he has the potential to keep that pace up the remainder of the year. He will be a great player for years to come and will be exciting to see if he can factor into a possible playoff stretch run for the Blackhawks.

Team Name: Chicago Blackhawks (23-22-4)

Central Division Standing: T-5th place

Conference Standing: T-12th place
 

Final Predictions – 5th in Central Division, 13th in Western Conference