The Blackhawks’ thrilling start to the 2017-18 season stumbled to a halt in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs on Monday night. Now in the second leg of a back-to-back, Chicago will look to get on track against the Canadiens in Montreal.
The absence of center Nick Schmaltz against the Leafs was noticeable from the first puck drop, even though a 3-1 lead in the third period made it seem like the Hawks would get out unscathed. The defense could only hold Auston Matthews in check for so long, however, especially with the star center absolutely dominating the puck whenever he was on the ice.
Schmaltz won’t return Tuesday against Montreal, so the Hawks will have their work cut out for them. There was some talk on social media and alike that Chicago looked tired near the end of the loss to Toronto, but it looked more to me like the other team was simply faster. Going from Schmaltz-Anisimov-Kero to Anisimov-Kero-Wingels up the middle after Jonathan Toews really didn’t help there.
The Blackhawks may be younger and faster than a year ago, but they’re still one of the older teams in the league and not quite as blazing fast as a team like the Leafs. That doesn’t mean they can’t beat those teams, of course. It’s just going to be an uphill climb as we saw Monday, where goaltending was the prime reason Chicago led after two periods.
Speed, just like in the first round against Nashville last year, will be the thing that gives the Blackhawks fits. Particularly when they don’t have one of their best skaters in Schmaltz.
But the matchup gets a bit easier Tuesday against the Canadiens, who are off to a 1-2-0 start to the season. They’ve scored just three goals in four games, so the Blackhawks should have a much easier time on defense. As long as they can find ways to beat Carey Price, this is very much a winnable game.
Projected lineups
Blackhawks
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Richard Panik |
| F2 | Ryan Hartman – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane |
| F3 | Patrick Sharp – Tanner Kero – Alex DeBrincat |
| F4 | Lance Bouma – Tommy Wingels – John Hayden |
| D1 | Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook |
| D2 | Michal Kempny – Connor Murphy |
| D3 | Gustav Forsling – Jan Rutta |
| Goaltender | Corey Crawford |
Wild
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Nino Niederreiter – Eric Staal – Charlie Coyle |
| F2 | Marcus Foligno – Mikko Koivu – Tyler Ennis |
| F3 | Jason Zucker – Joel Eriksson EK – Chris Stewart |
| F4 | Daniel Winnik – Matt Cullen – Gustav Olofsson |
| D1 | Ryan Suter – Jared Spurgeon |
| D2 | Jonas Brodin – Mathew Dumba |
| D3 | Kyle Quincey – Mike Reilly |
| Goaltender | Devan Dubnyk |
How to watch Blackhawks vs. Canadiens
Start time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal
TV: NBC Sports Chicago, NBCSN