BLOG: Four takeaways from Blackhawks 2019-20 schedule

The Blackhawks full 2019-20 schedule is out! Let's dive into a few takeaways from the 82-game slate.

HOME-HEAVY START

After the Blackhawks return from their Global Series season opener in Prague, Czech Republic, they'll get a heavy dose of home cooking with seven straight games at the United Center from Oct. 10-24. It's not only the longest homestand of the season, but it's only the third time Chicago has played seven or more games at home in a row since the league moved to an 82-game schedule ahead of the 1995-96 season.
In the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, the team had seven straight home games from Feb. 12-Feb. 25, posting a 6-0-1 record. In 2014-15, Chicago played eight straight at home from Feb. 9-Feb. 24, posting a 3-2-3 record.

APPOINTMENT VIEWING

In the nine weeks from Oct. 29 through Dec. 21, Chicago plays a Saturday road game in all but one week (Dec. 7). The first game in that stretch is a noon CT puck drop, but from there on out, you can plan to watch Blackhawks on Saturday night, with games starting from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CT.

BACK-TO-BACK

The quick turnaround will be a familiar one for the Blackhawks in 2019-20 with 16 back-to-backs on the schedule. In the 32 total games coming either the first or second night, nearly 40 percent of the schedule will come on one side of a back-to-back.
Of the 16, five are traveling from city to city on the road, with 11 either starting or finishing at home. The heaviest stretch comes in November with four sets of two games in two days, while December and March each have three of their own.

TAKE A BREAK

Chicago will get a reprieve from the heavy months of November and December come late January with their All-Star and league-mandated breaks from Jan. 22-Feb. 1. The 10 days between games set the team up for a road-centric February, where 11 of their 14 games are away from the United Center.