It's a Tuesday night. The Blackhawks are in sixth place in the Western Conference and I bet there will still be way too many Chicago fans at the Drinkscotch Center tonight. That's what happens when you win a Cup. All the diehards come out of the woodwork who don't know who Steve Larmer or Michel Goulet are and who think Chris Chelios is just a dick from Detroit. At least they're partially right.

We'll probably hear some cheering during the anthem and any Chicago goals will be greeted by an ovation. At least it's not a Saturday night game. Those are now the worst with the Hawks. Even worse than Detroit games where the red menace jerseys seem to be in every section of the arena.

The Blues have left the Hawks in their dust, taking the lead in the Central Division while Chicago sits in sixth place in the conference. Lucky for them that sixth is probably the third best seed after the top two. The sixth place team gets the division winner in the Pacific, currently the Stars. Sure, Dallas would have home ice advantage, but they also have four less points than Chicago right now. I'd take the Stars in the first round over the Predators or Wings any day.

I think I read somewhere that Jaroslav Halak will get the start in net. By dominating on that recent six-game road trip, Halak has put a stranglehold on the starting job. While Elliott still got the challenging Canucks in Vancouver last Thursday, Halak got the bulk of the work on the trip. He earned it. I'd expect that trend going forward.

Whichever goaltender the Hawks start, he will be mediocre.

You know, it's nice that we can hate the Hawks again and expect competitive games. It wasn't nearly as fun when one or both teams sucked ass. Still, I'd take a comfortable 4-0 win tonight. No, that's not a jinx, just a wish.

This is your game day thread. Comment like you read this thing.