The Ticket Chest

Blackhawks Hottest Team in Hockey – 7-Game Win Streak

Monday, November 23rd, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment

I didn’t see it going this well, but so far, this young, talented Blackhawks team has dominated the “Circus Trip” with the quiet, confidence of a wily, veteran club.  The Blackhawks are in the midst of a 7-game winning streak, including 3 for 3 on the first part of the annual Circus Trip through western Canada.

The Blackhawks defeated the Calgary Flames 7-1 in the 1st game of the trip and haven’t missed a beat since.  Over the weekend, the Blackhawks rattled off wins on back-to-back nights in Edmonton (5-2) and Vancouver (1-0).  In the Oilers win, the Blackhawks raced out to a 3-1 1st period lead on goals by Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg and Patrick Kane, and Cristobal Huet stopped 25 of 27 shots on goal to win his 6th straight start.  In the Canucks win, defense was the name of the game.  The Blackhawks managed just 17 shots on goal, but Bryan Bickell’s 1st goal since April 2007 ended up being the game winner just over 1 minute into the 3rd period.  Antii Niemi had one of his best games as a starting NHL Goaltender, saving all 30 shots that the Canucks sent his way.  Niemi & Co. shut down 6 Canucks power play opportunities.

The Blackhawks are now 15-5-2 and their 32 points are 2nd best in the entire NHL – the San Jose Sharks, the Blackhawks’ opponent on Wednesday night lead all teams with 36 points.  The Blackhawks round out the Circus Trip with games against the Ducks (Friday 11/27 in Anaheim) and the Kings (Saturday 11/28 in Los Angeles), before returning home to face the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center on Tuesday December 1st.  At this point, I predicted that a 3-win road trip should be considered a success, so if the Blackhawks can steal away another win or 2 the rest of the way, the Blackhawks will be sitting pretty…

Tags: Antii Niemi, Bryan Bickell, Cristobal Huet, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg, Patrick Kane