NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Blackhawks were the last team in the Central Division to not have any games postponed or rescheduled yet this season. But that ended on Friday morning. Fortunately, it was not due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
Earlier today, the NHL announced that tomorrow’s (February 20th) game between the Blackhawks and Hurricanes has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.
The NHL announces tomorrow's Blackhawks-Hurricanes game has been rescheduled to a date later in the season.
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 19, 2021
The Blackhawks were set to play the Hurricanes on back-to-back nights tonight and tomorrow (February 19-20), but that is no longer the case. Friday night’s game (tonight) is still scheduled to go on as planned. So how does this make sense/why is it happening? Well, again, it’s not COVID related, which explains why these same two teams can play tonight. Beyond that, it’s pretty simple: it’s all about scheduling conflicts and minimizing the stress on any one team.
So Tampa Bay is going to play Carolina tomorrow instead of the Blackhawks. Originally, Tampa Bay was supposed to play games against the Stars but those got canceled due to the power outages in Texas. To avoid the Lightning missing even more games this season, they moved up a previously scheduled game in March between TB-CAR to tomorrow. The Blackhawks, having not had issues yet, are just the unlucky ones along for the ride.
The Blackhawks are currently tied with the Florida Panthers for the Central Division lead with 22 points, one point ahead of the Lightning and Hurricanes in the Central Division playoff positions. Based on points percentage, the Blackhawks are in fourth-place, behind Carolina and Tampa Bay with the Panthers still leading the Division.
