Geoff JohnsonThe Chicago Blackhawks begin their title defense this Tuesday night when they host the Washington Capitals in the opening night of the 2013 season. The game starts at 8 PM ET at the United Center.
The Blackhawks are looking closely to the situations of veterans Marian Hossa (34 yards old) and Michal Handzus (36 years old), who didn’t play a single game in the preseason due to health problems.
Hossa has back problems, and Chicago is trying to be careful with him. He’s expected to play on Tuesday, but there hasn’t been an official word yet.
“I definitely know I have to come a little bit early and do extra stuff to warm up,” said Hossa. “But I think at my age, lots of guys do that. Before that, I just came and just played, I didn’t have to do much. Now I have to come a little bit early, and that’s a normal thing.”
Chicago’s best weapon this season is the depth of their defense. They have so many names with talent in there that the rotation won’t suffer a bit when the starters leave the ice.
The Capitals, on the other hand, will lean fully on what Alex Ovechkin can do for them. They have been good in recent years, but not great; they are usually farther from greatness than actually closer.
Keep in mind Chicago is 3-5-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Washington. Also, the total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago.
