4. Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks – March 1st, 2014
#71 Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles for the puck against #19 Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks near Marc-Andre Fleury and the net. Jamie Sabau/Getty Images.
The NHL officially announced early this year that the expansion of the Winter Classic series will feature a game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1st.
The game, which will be held at Soldier Field in Chicago, will be Pittsburgh’s third outdoor game (2008, 2012) — while Chicago will only be playing in its second (2009).
Hockey fans will be in for a good game because of the two teams’ successful 2012-13 campaigns.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks were the stories of last season.
Chicago started the season with a record 24-point game streak — which ended up being the third-longest winning streak in NHL history.
Then, Pittsburgh went 15-0 in the month of March — which was the first team to ever win all their games in a calendar month.
And of course, everyone knows the Blackhawks were the story of the 2013 playoffs as they won the Stanley Cup.
Not only will the game be one of the most watched this season, but viewers can expect to see stars like Crosby, Malkin, Toews and Kane face-off.