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Chicago Blackhawks look to make most of long break before home opener

CHICAGO (CBS) – The Chicago Blackhawks finally play a home game this week when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.

CBS 2's Matt Zahn visited a team making the most of an extra long break between games.

The Blackhawks are finally almost set for their home opener, using this unusual six-day break to get some rest and hopefully still carry the momentum from their 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks.

"A couple good bounces, then you start to feel confident and things start going the right way. I think the effort's been there," said center Sam Lafferty. "It feels really good. I think we're excited and [have] a lot to build on for this home opener. We just want to put on a show for the fans."

Lafferty worked well with his new teammate and linemate Jason Dickinson. It was quite a debut for Dickinson who registered three points in his first game with the Hawks after a whirlwind few days that included getting traded from the Vancouver Canucks and then dealing with a delay with immigration paperwork before finally joining his new team.

"It's always weird to make a change so abruptly and have to go with the flow," Dickinson said. "There's some guys that are really good at it and some that aren't. I wasn't really sure where I stood there. So far, it feels pretty good how I've meshed with the guys."

Dickinson said he was actually in the gym when he found out about the trade during a Vancouver preseason game. He said it was odd, but he brushed it off, and finished his last few sets, maybe even putting a little extra effort in.

The Hawks hope his effort on the ice can help them stay competitive.

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