Corey Crawford will get the start in net in his hometown when the Chicago Blackhawks play the second half of a back-to-back Tuesday against the Canadiens in Montreal.
Crawford watched from the bench as Chicago (2-0-1) dropped its first game this season Monday in a 4-3 overtime loss at Toronto. Anton Forsberg made 39 saves in his Blackhawks debut Monday against the Maple Leafs.
The 32-year-old goaltender has allowed two goals in his two starts, compiling a .968 save percentage this season. In nine career games against Montreal (1-2-0), Crawford is 7-0-2 with a 1.55 goals against average and .951 save percentage, including one shutout.
Patrick Kane (two goals, four assists) and Ryan Hartman (one goal, five assists) lead Chicago in scoring with six points while Brandon’s Saad is the team’s top goal scorer with four.
The trio will have a tough opponent in net with Montreal goaltender Carey Price. He was pulled following the first period after giving up four goals on 14 shots Saturday against the Capitals, then returned Sunday to make 23 saves against the Rangers.
Chicago will also see familiar faces in forwards Phillip Danault and Andrew Shaw. Danault scored in Montreal’s season opener Oct. 5 at Buffalo while Shaw has yet to record a point in three games.
Montreal has scored four goals with only one at even strength in its three-game road trip to open the season. The Canadiens have struggled to find the back of the net with one goal in its past two games. That goal came on Brendan Gallagher’s shorthanded tally at Washington.
It’s another fun night for Chicago sports with the Blackhawks and Chicago Cubs in action. The Cubs, who hold a 2-1 National League Division Series lead against the Washington Nationals, can advance to the NL Championship Series with a win at Wrigley Field in Game 4 of the best-of-five series. It would be the third straight NLCS appearance for the Cubs, which would match the Blackhawks’ three straight Western Conference Final appearances from 2013-15.
Projected lineups
Chicago
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 |
Montreal
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 at Canadiens
Start time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal
TV: NBC Sports Network