The Stanley Cup champions were not expecting to begin the new season like this. Through seventeen games in the season, they sit at an 8-9-1 record  in the Central Division. It is quite disappointing to see a team of this caliber be struggling like this. The Hawks cannot seem to get on a roll, struggling to consistently win games.

The Central Division is very competitive this year with teams like the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues dominating the standings. Currently, St. Louis is the best team in the league sitting with a 9-2-2 record. Detroit is posting up strong numbers, with a 3.2 goals per game that ranks third in the league and in the top ten for goals against per game as well.

The Blackhawks were 11-5-2 through their first seventeen last year and tallied less than 15 losses at home in the whole season itself. Patrick Kane will be shifted to the left wing position and lining up with Marian Hossa to spark some extra offense. Patrick Sharp is doing well thus far and is second in the NHL with 10 goals and leading the team as well.

Duncan Keith is tolling plenty of minutes on the ice, playing almost half the game. This will not last and can put wear and tear on Keith, whom the Hawks need to have for the whole season and the playoffs. The Hawks goaltending needs to be more consistent, considering they are the backbone to the team when it comes to pulling off victories out on the ice. Marty Turco is a goalie that has the tendency to be too aggressive and his angles could use some work to stop those first shots on goal.

The Blackhawks suffered a tough loss to the Phoenix Coyotes at the United Center witha  score of 2-1. Both of the goals were due to turnovers and mistakes by Duncan Keith, who was forced to sit the bench for some extra minutes on Wednesday. The Hawks play Nashville on Saturday and need to rebound and secure a win to relieve some of us fans from this misery thus far.