Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks Picks and Predictions October 17th 2024

Blackhawks Host Skidding Sharks in Home Opener

After a tough season-opening road trip, the Chicago Blackhawks will look to regroup and secure a win on home ice when they host the struggling San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. The Blackhawks come into their home opener with a 1-2-1 record after visiting Utah, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary. While they showed flashes of competitiveness throughout the trip, their overall results left room for improvement.

Blackhawks Seeking More Than Moral Victories

Despite their struggles, the Blackhawks displayed resilience, particularly in a heartbreaking loss to Winnipeg, where they held a lead until the Jets tied the game with just 1:04 remaining in regulation. Winnipeg eventually won in overtime, a tough pill to swallow for Chicago.

Team captain Nick Foligno, however, isn’t content with just moral victories.

“We’re a better team (than last year). That’s just the reality,” Foligno said. “That’s why the expectation goes up, though. We talked about it: It’s no more moral victories.”

That opinion was clear in Chicago’s latest trip, a 3-1 misfortune to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. Foligno answered rapidly to an early Calgary goal, scoring only 10 seconds after the Flames struck. His goal, a redirection of a Seth Jones shot, kept the Blackhawks serious from the get-go in the game.

Chicago began solid in the subsequent period, discharging seven of the initial eight shots on goal. Be that as it may, Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf was capable, making 31 saves and obstructing the Blackhawks’ endeavors to assume command over the game, remembering halting Joey Anderson for a short-handed breakaway.

“We played a pretty good game, the first half of the game, especially,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “We didn’t give them hardly anything much. And then we got into some penalty trouble and they scored on the power play. We were just a little disconnected after that, trying to chase it a little bit, not playing simple.”

Sharks Still Searching for First Win

The San Jose Sharks, meanwhile, have had their own struggles. They come into the game with an 0-3-1 record and are still seeking their first victory under new head coach Ryan Warsofsky. Despite their tough start, the Sharks showed signs of improvement in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves, keeping the Sharks in the game, but they couldn’t overcome Dallas in the end.

“We’re doing some good things,” Warsofsky said. “We still have to do a lot of things better and more consistently. We’ve done some good things, but we’ve got to continue to grow.”

Forward Ty Dellandrea echoed Warsofsky’s sentiment but emphasized the importance of closing out games and playing with more urgency in the third period.

“We’ve got to get wins and find ways to close out games,” Dellandrea said. “We had looks in the third. We had chances. We need to get on the gas in the third period a bit more instead of sitting back. I thought we did a better job of that tonight versus (Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Anaheim) but it’s still something we’ve got to improve on.”

The Sharks are managing wounds to vital participants, including No. 1 generally draft pick Macklin Celebrini, who remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Celebrini was put on harmed save on Saturday and didn’t venture out to Dallas. The earliest he can return is Friday when the Sharks visit Winnipeg.

Key Players to Watch

For the Blackhawks, Seth Jones, Connor Bedard, and Teuvo Teravainen have been leading the way on offense. All three players have recorded five points through the team’s first four games, with Jones tallying four assists and Teravainen scoring three goals.

For the Sharks, the focus will be on whether they can generate more offense and maintain pressure throughout the game. They will lean on Blackwood in goal while hoping that players like Dellandrea can help spark their attack.

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Last Season’s Matchups

The Blackhawks cleared every one of the three gatherings against the Sharks last season, winning one in extra time and one more in a shootout. With the Sharks actually searching for their most memorable success of the time, the Blackhawks will expect to proceed with their prosperity against San Jose, this time on home ice.

What’s at Stake

The two teams are looking for replies as they attempt to gather speed right off the bat in the season. For the Blackhawks, Thursday’s home opener is a chance to refocus after a grueling excursion. In the interim, the Sharks will be anxious to get their most memorable success of the time and give their new lead trainer his most memorable triumph.

With two teams hungry for a positive outcome, expect a serious game as the Blackhawks and Sharks go head to head at the United Center.