The annual Circus Trip is almost over for the Chicago Blackhawks, who have lost three straight after opening the trip with a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, but first the Hawks have to deal with the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings. A less than consistent offense has been the culprit most recently, as pointed out by NHL.com's David Kalan:
In the losses it appears scoring depth is proving to be the Blackhawks' Achilles' heel. Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have all tallied points in bunches of late, but offense has been sporadic at best nearly everywhere else in the lineup. Those concerns became most obvious in Wednesday night's 1-0 shutout loss to the Sharks and former-Blackhawk Antti Niemi. Perhaps the Hawks can find solace in knowing that it may just have been a case of the bounces not going their way. The Hawks outshot San Jose Wednesday night by a stiff 34-21 margin.
Let's take a closer look at this weekend's games:
- Chicago Blackhawks (12-7-3) vs. Anaheim Ducks (6-11-4)
GAME TIME: Friday November 25th, 3:00 p.m. CST
TV: WGN
Previous Meeting: Blackhawks won 3-2 in a shootout in a home game at the United Center.
The Anaheim Ducks have struggling mightily to put together anything positive in the recent weeks, going 1-6-3 in their last 10 games, losing 14 of their last 16 overall. The Ducks have a -22 goal differential on the season, and are only 4-6-0 at home.
- Chicago Blackhawks (12-7-3) vs. Los Angeles Kings (11-7-4)
GAME TIME: Saturday November 26th, 9:30 p.m. CST
TV: WGN
The Kings are 6-5-1 at home this season, and 5-3-2 in their last 10 games. They rank 24th in the NHL in goals scored per game, 8th in goals allowed, 13th in power play percentage and 15th in penalty kill percentage.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Blackhawks be sure to visit Second City Hockey. For more Ducks hockey news and information, be sure to read Anaheim Calling. For more Kings news and analysis, be sure to read Jewels From The Crown.