Adam Boqvist will not play Sunday for due to a right shoulder injury for the Blackhawks against the Jets in Winnipeg.
The rookie defenseman sustained the injury at 6:13 of the second period after a hit by Bruins forward David Krejci, who received a boarding minor. Boqvist, who has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 29 games, was a full participant in practice Saturday in Chicago and Sunday in Winnipeg, but is being held out for precautionary reasons.
Boqvist had the same injury Dec. 23 against the Devils and missed the Blackhawks’ next game, Dec. 27 against the Islanders, before returning to action.
With Boqvist out, Erik Gustafssson will move up to the top pairing with Duncan Keith and Nick Seeler will make his Chicago debut after being a healthy scratch since he was acquired Feb. 3 off waivers from the Wild. Seeler, a defensive-minded defenseman, will play his first NHL game since Dec. 7 and be paired with Connor Murphy.
Colliton on Boqvist: “He’s close. He feels like he’s ready. We just want to make sure. It’s a chance to get Seeler in. And we’ve got a lot of games coming up, so that extra day or two for Boqqy’s not a bad thing.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 9, 2020
Forward Matthew Highmore will draw back into the lineup for Alex Nylander after being a healthy scratch for three games since Chicago’s bye week. Highmore has three points (one goal, two assists) in 21 games, while Nylander has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 50 games.
Colliton: “Highmore’s played really well and we’ve sat him 3 in a row. It’s a chance to get him in and he’ll add some energy…be excited to play.
Not unhappy with Nylander, actually that line’s played really well, it’s just we’ve…got a lot of guys playing well.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 9, 2020
The Blackhawks and Jets faceoff at 6 p.m. Sunday on NBC Sports Chicago Plus.