What Would Make a Successful Season Opener for the Blackhawks?

The NHL is finally set to get underway for another amazing year of hockey, kicking it off with a best vs worst kind of matchup as the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions take on the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. We all know it is going to be a great game, and there will be lots to learn and take from the season opener, however for Chicago, what would make their opener a positive one?

Bedard Finding Much Needed Chemistry With His Linemates

One thing that all Chicago Blackhawks fans and new head coach Jeff Blashill will want is a strong start for their star boy Connor Bedard, and with yet another jumble within the lines, it looks like he will line up alongside new addition Andre Burakovsky and Ryan Donato. Beard found some pretty good chemistry alongside Donato during the latter part of the season last year, and Donato’s eye for goal really helped Bedard mould into his role as a key playmaker. 

With Burakovsky now joining Bedard on the top line, that adds another sharpshooter and offensive weapon for Bedard, a known scorer, and a player who has previously had a lot of success and chemistry with Ryan Donato in Seattle. Burakovsky is not only another outlet for Bedard, but a player he can hopefully begin to learn and feed off of, and tonight could be the night that proves it.

Last season Blackhawks fans went through constant line switch ups, and barely any chemistry was built within the lineup, however what is important is that positive change and teamwork is shown tonight, and hopefully, some long lasting chemistry and understanding is established from the off.

Nazar Can Continue His Scoring Form

It is without a doubt that the Blackhawks will struggle to find goals this season, however Frank Nazar seems to be their guy in front of goal, and given what the preseason showed us, Hawks fans will be hoping his scoring touch can transfer into the regular season. Having scored a handful of goals last season, Nazar has really begun to become one of the Blackhawks best assets in front of goal, and tonight, if he can continue putting some dangerous pucks towards the net, there is still hope that Nazar could be their goal getter this year.

Lining up with Teuvo Terevainen and Tyler Bertuzzi, Nazar will not be short of service, and will have plenty of opportunities to score and get points, and with two solid veterans on his side, Blackhawks fans will be hoping some chemistry will click, and some goals will be scored. Last season one thing that was clear was the lack of shots the Hawks were taking, and tonight, Nazar could be the guy to change that, and the Blackhawks will be hoping his fearless eye for goals won’t slow down against the league's best.

The Young Guys Can Click

It looks like Colton Dach, Ryan Greene, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, and a handful of other young and exciting prospects will play in the opener for the Hawks tonight, and if they can get their game going against some of the leagues best players, then it is a big positive going forward. Levshunov is a player all Hawks fans will be assessing closely to see how he can cope with the big challenge of shutting down some of the Panthers most dangerous players, and the likes of Colton Dach will be tested to see if his aggressive and powerful game can hold up against much larger competition.

If the young bucks can make a good impression and adapt well against what could be three-peating Panthers team, the Blackhawks will have nothing to worry about in regards to the readiness of their prospects, and if they can all put up a hard working performance, then that is a big plus to take from the opener.