- Joined:
- May 15, 2010
- Posts:
- 13,392
- Liked Posts:
- 5,654
PREVIEW: Blackhawks Face Kraken in Inaugural Meeting
Chicago to play first regular-season game in state of Washington in front of national audience on Wednesday night
by Carter Baum @CarterBaum
TIME: 9 p.m. CT
TV: TNT | RADIO: WGN 720-AM | STREAM: Watch TNT
The Blackhawks embark on their longest trip to date on Wednesday night in Seattle, meeting the expansion Kraken for the very first time.
TEAM RECORDS
- CHI: 4-9-2, 10 PTS
- SEA: 4-10-1, 9 PTS
HOW TO WATCH
Don't miss a minute of the action with a national audience on Wednesday night with Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk on the call on TNT and streaming on Watch TNT.You can also listen to the game locally on WGN Radio with John Wiedeman and Colby Cohen on the call.
NEWCOMERS
The Blackhawks are set to face league's 32nd franchise for the first time on Wednesday night, the first of three meetings this season, twice in Seattle and once in Chicago. This will be the Blackhawks first regular-season game in the state of Washington.Chicago is 16-8-4 all time in their first matchup against an expansion team dating back to 1926 when the Blackhawks joined the league. The Blackhawks have won five of their last six opening contests against expansion teams with their most recent loss coming against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 24, 2017 (4-2). Before that, the Blackhawks had won five straight against Minnesota, Columbus, Atlanta, Nashville and Anaheim.
Tyler Johnson is from Spokane and played for the Chiefs from 2007-2011. He helped the team win the 2008 CHL Memorial Cup and was named the Western Hockey League's Playoff Most Valuable Player.
MR. JONES
Seth Jones picked up an assist on Friday night against the Coyotes to extend his point streak (1G, 5A) to six games, matching a career high. He has recorded a six-game point streak on two other occasions, both of which while he was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets (Dec. 18-29, 2017 with 3G, 4A and Feb. 2-13 with 1G 6A).His 12 helpers during the 2021-22 campaign share most among NHL blueliners and share ninth among league skaters, Jones has points in 10 of his last 11 contests, He is one point away from the 300th of his NHL career.
HIT 'EM WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Reese Johnson matched a Blackhawks franchise record with 11 hits against Arizona on Friday. Troy Brouwer (Oct. 16, 2010 vs. BUF) and Nikita Zadorov (Jan. 19, 2021 at FLA) are the two other Chicago skaters who have accomplished that feat. Johnson's 11 hits are the most recorded by any player in the NHL this season.Chicago logged 35 hits against the Coyotes, marking the eighth instance this year that the Blackhawks have had 30 or more hits in a game. The Blackhawks logged 40 hits in a game for the second time this season (41 hits on Oct. 24 vs. DET) on Nov. 7 against the Predators. Chicago and the New York Islanders are the only two clubs with multiple 40+ hit games during the 2021-22 campaign.
They are third in the NHL with 437 hits and third averaging 28.86 hits per 60 minutes this year. Johnson (first) and Mike Hardman (13th) rank inside the top 15 among all league skaters in hits per 60 (min. 5 games played).
CAT ATTACK
Alex DeBrincat scored a goal on Friday to extend his point streak (2G, 1A) to three games. He has four goals in his last five games. DeBrincat also played in a career-high 27:29 of ice time and matched a single-game best with eight shots on Nov. 9 against Pittsburgh. His previous career high was 24:21 on May 10, 2021 against Dallas. With his 127th career goal on Friday, he passed Patrick Kane for fifth on the Blackhawks all-time goals list of players prior to their 24th birthday. The Farmington Hills, Michigan native turns 24 on Dec. 18.
DeBrincat's 127 goals share 10th among all NHL players since he debuted at the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign. The goal total is also second most among players drafted in 2016, trailing only Auston Matthews (165 career markers).
