The Penguins finish their road trip with a stop in Chicago against the Blackhawks.
The Pittsburgh Penguins conclude their road trip with a matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Penguins (8-7-3) took care of business against the Winnipeg Jets, and have a chance to secure wins on back-to-back nights.
The Blackhawks (6-8-3) are fresh off of a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Here's three things to watch for in these teams' first meeting of the season.
1. Rust Gets on the Board
One of the issues plaguing this Penguins team recently was the sharp decline of Bryan Rust's play. After being elevated to the top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, Rust and his linemates failed to produce. Rust finally broke free of his seven game scoring drought against the Jets, netting a goal and registering an assist.
If Rust can continue playing himself out of his scoring rut, the second line of the Penguins will continue to benefit. While Evgeni Malkin and Jason Zucker continue to put up numbers, adding in production from a confident Rust will make the second line that much more deadly. Look for this second line to continue their dominance against the Blackhawks.
2. Beat the Teams You Should
As the Penguins continue to search for consistency and a team identity, one of the ways they can work towards that is winning games they are supposed to. No disrespect to the Blackhawks' organization, but the Penguins are the superior team. They have better offensive, defensive, and goaltending depth, and should defeat the Blackhawks handedly.
If the Penguins want to gain ground in the stout Metropolitan Division, they have to handle the games they're supposed to, like this matchup in Chicago. Even playing on back-to-back nights, the Pens need to get to their game and take it to the Blackhawks. Otherwise, they will be returning to Pittsburgh with more questions than answers.
3. Patty Kane Still Going
While the Blackhawks are far removed from their Stanley Cup winning days, the remaining holdover from their run of dominance is the superstardom of Patrick Kane. At 34 years old, he's one of the greatest American hockey players ever, and he continues to be an offensive force.
This season seems to be off to a tougher start for Kane, with only two goals and 13 points in 17 games. What stands out the most is his incredibly low shooting percentage, at just over 4%. Kane's puck look will change, and that shooting percentage should rise to his career average of 11.6%.
The Penguins still will need to focus on Kane and his linemates (Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou) to limit Chicago's offense. The Blackhawks have some of the weakest forward depth in the league. If they can silence the top line and Kane, the Pens will have an excellent chance of returning home with two straight wins.
BONUS: This is also one of the most important games of the year for the Penguins as Malkin will lace up the skates for the 1,000th time.
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