The Hawks (2-1-1) begin a two game road trip in Phoenix on Tuesday night when they face off with the Coyotes (2-1-1). The Hawks are coming off a home loss on Saturday to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins in which the Hawks were outplayed in the third period, blew a 2-1 lead, and eventually lost in the shootout. The Hawks will need a solid 60 minute effort after not playing particularly well in the third period against Winnipeg either. This will be the first of four meetings with the Coyotes this season. The Hawks were 2-1-1 against Phoenix last year and all four games were decided by one goal with two of those games going to a shootout. Hawks number one goalie Corey Crawford started three of the four games and was sharp posting a 1.90 Goals Against Average and .922 save percentage. Marian Hossa is expected to return to the lineup after missing Saturday’s game with an upper body injury. The Hawks will need to keep Shane Doan in check who has three goals and four assists for seven points in the first four games of the season. Patrick Kane looks to continue his good early season start with six points in four games and winning over 56% of face offs after being shifted to Center. With points in the Western Conference at a premium, the Hawks need to continue to accumulate points early on to give them some breathing room as the season moves on. As the Hawks know way too well after a slow start last season, points in October are just as important as points in April.
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