The Chicago Blackhawks and the Colorado Avalanche meet in NHL action Wednesday night. The Chicago Blackhawks had a down year last season, finishing with a 24-25-7 mark, and they missed the postseason for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. The offense was led by Patrick Kane with 66 points and 51 assists and Alex DeBrincat led the team in goals with 32 and 56 total points. The Blackhawks will get Jonathan Toews back in the lineup after missing the entire season due to an illness. They also upgraded their goaltending position by acquiring Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Colorado Avalanche won the West division and the President’s trophy finishing the season with a 39-13-4 record. They lost in the second round of the playoff to Vegas. The top line of Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Gabriel Landeskog returns after putting up 70 goals and 183 points. They did lose netminder Philipp Grubauer to the Seattle Kraken, leaving Pavel Francouz and Darcy Kuemper between the pipes.

The Avs are expected to contend for the Cup again this season and as long as their goaltending comes through they have the offense to carry them far. Nathan Mackinnon will be out this game so I expect the offense to struggle to get going. Chicago improved not only their defense but their goaltending. Chicago offense looks to be solid and the addition of a healthy Toews gives them a lift in this one.

Play on Chicago.