The Chicago Blackhawks return to the ice Thursday night as they visit the Vancouver Canucks in their first meeting of the season. After a five day break, Chicago will look to start off fresh in Vancouver, after dropping their last two games.
This is something that may not come easily for the Hawks, as Corey Crawford was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. Will Anton Forsberg be able to step up in his place? In 11 appearances for the Blackhawks this season, Forsberg has a .909 save percentage and 3.12 goals against average.
Forsberg is likely to get the start Thursday night, but with Chicago playing back-to-back games Thursday and Friday, Jeff Glass may soon see his first career NHL start.
The Hawks will look to capitalize on the Canucks inconsistent goaltending Thursday, as Vancouver has dropped eight of their last nine games. Jacob Markstrom will likely get the nod for the Canucks. In his 26 games played for Vancouver this season, Markstrom holds 9-12-4 record, including a .905 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average.
The Canucks’ 15-17-5 record this season currently puts them in seventh in the Pacific Division, while the Hawks sit in seventh in the Central Division with a 17-13-5 record.
Lineups
Blackhawks
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Patrick Sharp – Jonathan Toews – Brandon Saad |
| F2 | Nick Schmaltz – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane |
| F3 | Alex DeBrincat – Ryan Hartman – Richard Panik |
| F4 | Lance Bouma – Tommy Wingels – John Hayden |
| D1 | Duncan Keith – Jordan Oesterle |
| D2 | Connor Murphy – Brent Seabrook |
| D3 | Gustav Forsling – Jan Rutta |
| Goaltender | Anton Forsberg |
Canucks
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Daniel Sedin – Henrik Sedin – Loui Erikkson |
| F2 | Thomas Vanek – Sam Gagner – Brock Boeser |
| F3 | Nikolay Goldobin – Markus Granlund – Jake Virtanen |
| F4 | Brendan Gaunce – Nick Dowd – Reid Boucher |
| D1 | Alexander Edler – Christopher Tanev |
| D2 | Michael Del Zotto – Derrick Pouliot |
| D3 | Erik Gudbranson – Ben Hutton |
| Goaltender | Jacob Markstrom |
How to watch Blackhawks vs. Canucks
Start time: 9 p.m. CT
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
TV: NBC Sports, Sportsnet
Live stream: NBC Sports Live