The Blackhawks are back in action as Patrick Kane will be making his return to the Mad House for just the 2nd time as a visitor. The Hawks are hoping that this time around wouldn’t be a fairytale ending for 88 after he picked up the overtime winner back in February. The Red Wings come into this one with a 5-5-1 record, which is good enough to have them tied with the Sabres for 7th in the Atlantic Division. This has been a disappointing start for the Wings, who a lot of people felt were going to be taking the next step in the Yzerplan and pushing for the playoffs in a very tough division. Now it’s only 11 games in, so there is no reason for Wing fans to overact, but the point of no return does catch you quickly, so they need to take advantage of weaker teams to grab points.
As for the Hawks, they are really coming into their own a bit, playing pretty good hockey. After the comeback victory against the Kings on Saturday, it just feels like there is a bit of confidence filling the locker room. It’s a long season, and there are going to be more road bumps than smooth driving, but this is the stretch of games that this team needs to go through and learn from to have success when it’s time to go.
As if writing, there are no updates to what the line-up will be, but judging by what was seen at Tuesday's practice, there will be no changes as there shouldn’t be. I know Brodie is going to get back in the lineup here soon, but I think Phillips has done enough through two games to stay in the lineup tonight. As for goaltending, the Hawks have a back to back starting tonight, and with the much tougher Stars team tomorrow, I wouldn’t be surprised if Soderblom gets the start in this one. He looked fantastic Sunday, stopping 38 of the 40 shots he faced. Very happy to see him turn things around after a rough season last year.
Personal Note
Two years ago, I was given a chance to cover the team I love in a more professional way when I was offered the spot as the Blackhawks writer for HockeyBuzz. It was an exciting opportunity, as I had followed this site for many years and I saw how big the Hawks community was here. The nerves quickly disappeared the more I wrote and the more I interacted with all of you. The relationships formed here are what make it so hard to say that I am going to be stepping away from my spot here on HockeyBuzz. A lot has changed in my life since joining the site, especially in the last few months. I recently was promoted at my day job, which has been taking much more of my extra time. With that change and continuing to put a lot of focus on the WCBPodcast and its content, I feel my writings at HockeyBuzz are not getting the time and focus it deserves.
With that being said, I just wanted to thank you all so much for the support and the kind words you have shared with me over the years. I know my interaction in the comment sections has been minimal as of late, but I do check it out whenever I can, and I appreciate it all. If you want to keep up with my Hawks takes in video/audio form, please subscribe to the WCBPodcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcast. If anyone wants to stay in touch or reach out to me down the line, feel free to reach out to me via email ([email protected]). I am going to wrap this up as I am not a big fan of drawn-out good-byes. For one last time here, Lets Go Hawks!
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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