(MCT) — CHICAGO — A particularly deafening ovation from 21,188 in the United Center welcomed home the team with hockey’s best record on Tuesday. But the issue of the moment was where the Blackhawks were headed, as opposed to where they had been or how far they had come.

Stomping through the first dozen games while crisscrossing the map was mere prelude to the opportunity at hand: Seven home games stacked up neatly, and the chance to turn a roaring head start into a massive chasm between the Hawks and everyone chasing them.