BLOG: Blackhawks Look to Rebound in Rare Back-to-Back in Dallas

Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks will face a rematch against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center after they suffered a 5-4 overtime loss on Friday night. 

With such a quick turnaround for the same contest, head coach Luke Richardson found some benefits from the rare back-to-back situation. While they didn’t receive the outcome they wanted on Friday, this allowed time for the team to regroup with no travel but also gain some familiarity with their Central Division opponent. 

“You play the team the next night and you're kind of a little more familiar with what's going on [with their game],” Richardson said. “I think we've reacted when we play teams close together and I think we've done a pretty good job of playing [well against the team a] the second time.” 

The closest the Blackhawks came to facing the same team earlier this season included a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning with these games only a week apart.

For Jason Dickinson, this also allows the team to understand the Stars’ approach in certain situations and see what possible changes Dallas could make throughout the matchup. 

“With a back-to-back game like this. It's very easy to modify your game plan to this team specifically that you're playing,” Dickinson said. 

On Friday night, Chicago found their momentum late in the third to push the game into an overtime situation. While they did not end up with a win, they know what they can expect in their second matchup. 

“We didn't get the result we wanted but we played hard and we kind of know what to expect…,” Kevin Korchinski said. “This helps your preparation and helps kind of right out the gate knowing how we have to play.” 

As for tonight, Richardson noted that the Blackhawks need to be more careful with the way they handle the puck and avoid outnumbered rushes. 

When they are in the offensive zone, if they can get more shots on goal and reload quickly, then they can possibly see some better results in the end. 

“If we can do that and manage the puck against especially the big line…I think it will keep us out of less danger and they'll just let us have a little bit more offense to our game tonight,” Richardson said.