The Blackhawks are closer to a wild card berth than the New York Rangers despite being in last place in the Central Division with four fewer points than the Blueshirts. Both teams desperately need a win if they expect to stay relevant in the playoff race.
The Blackhawks are the only team in the NHL that the Rangers have not played yet. It’s a good time to be playing them as they have won only one of their last nine games in regulation, going 2-5-2.
Like the Rangers, with only five days left until the trade deadline, the Blackhawks have to figure out how aggressively they will be sellers by Monday afternoon.