Chicago doesn't play in between, so the Blackhawks you see on Monday are the ones that let a win get away in Boston. They led 4-2 in the 3rd, gave up the tying goal with 12 seconds left, and lost in overtime. Our recap said the hard part: they got the depth scoring they usually don't, with Anton Frondell scoring on the power play off a Kane-Bedard setup, and still couldn't close without Bowen Byram on the back end. They're 4-9-1 and have lost 2 straight. A team that loses games it should win doesn't need much bad luck to get buried.
Connor Bedard is the reason to watch Chicago. He came back from shoulder surgery in mid-October and Jeff Blashill liked what he saw right away. The problem is the wing opposite Roman Kantserov on Bedard's line. Blashill has tried Ryan Greene, Teuvo Teräväinen and Ryan Donato there, and none of them has stuck. Some people want Frondell moved onto that line. The rookie has already shown he can handle hard matchups, winning 11 of 18 draws against Sidney Crosby in a 2-assist night earlier this month. Whatever top line Blashill puts out Monday is the most interesting decision on the Chicago bench.
So this comes down to which defense holds up. Chicago is missing its best puck-mover in Byram and has been scoring 1 or 2 goals a night at the United Center. Colorado is rebuilding its pairs on the fly and hasn't won on the road recently. Colorado has the better roster and Chicago has the extra day at home. The Calgary game will tell you a lot about which Avalanche team gets on the plane.
