The Blackhawks are still looking for their first win, and the path to it is anything but clean.
Chicago opened the 2026-27 season with three straight road losses, falling to Vegas, Utah and Buffalo. Now the club gets a quick shot at turning things around with its home opener Tuesday against the St.
Louis Blues, followed by a trip to Long Island to face the New York Islanders on Thursday. After that, the Blackhawks are home for seven straight, which makes October a huge stretch for a team still trying to get off the schneid.
The first chance comes against a Blues team that has already shown a little of everything. St.
Louis opened by shutting out the Dallas Stars, then got blown out by the Colorado Avalanche, the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners. On paper, this looks like Chicago’s most manageable matchup so far.
But Jordan Binnington has made life difficult on the Blackhawks for years, going 11-3-1 against them in his career. If Chicago doesn’t solve him at the United Center, it may have to steal a result somewhere else to get those first two points.
The trip to the Islanders could be just as tricky. Ilya Sorokin, a Vezina Trophy finalist, has gone 4-2-1 against the Original Six club.
Through two games, New York is 1-1-0, and Sorokin has allowed only two goals, carrying a 1.10 GAA into his next start. If he gets the night off, the Blackhawks could see Semyon Varlamov instead, and he’s been even tougher on Chicago historically at 15-6-4 against them.
That would at least open the door for the Blackhawks if they can keep Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer under wraps.
The home stand doesn’t get much kinder after that. Carolina arrives Saturday, and the reigning Stanley Cup champions are already shaking off the early “championship hangover.” The Blackhawks would need an upset there, plain and simple, and Carolina has owned this matchup in the Connor Bedard era, going 5-0-1 against Chicago.
Then comes another marquee name in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby will be in town, and he has only 16 points against Chicago, the lowest total against any team he’s faced at least 10 times. Still, the Penguins have bounced back since Mike Sullivan left the bench, made the playoffs last year, and are undefeated through two games this season.
The middle of the homestand may offer Chicago its best chances.
On October 15, the Winnipeg Jets visit without former Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, who is suspended after requesting a trade and failing to report to camp. That alone makes Winnipeg more vulnerable, though the Jets still have plenty of punch with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.
Right after that, the Blackhawks host the Stars, who are either going to be searching for their first win or rolling into town on a run after finally getting going. Either way, Dallas figures to be uncomfortable in a spot it’s not used to - buried this low in the standings.
Chicago then gets a five-day break from October 18 to 22 before taking on the Montreal Canadiens, another Original Six opponent. Montreal’s young core broke through last year and wants a deeper playoff run, and the roster still brings serious firepower, including Lane Hudson on defense.
After Montreal, the Florida Panthers come to town for a Sunday afternoon game. Even without captain Aleksander Barkov, they now have Matthew and Brady Tkachuk and are trying to climb back into the league’s top tier with what the source describes as a monster bounceback season. The homestand closes with the Los Angeles Kings, who have a new coach and have not won a game as of this writing.
However this October shakes out, the Blackhawks are staring at a brutal run with no easy nights on the calendar. At some point, the first win has to come, and Chicago should eventually start stacking some victories together.
The source’s view is that the team may find more success once Bedard returns. Until then, patience is the message while the schedule keeps coming.
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