The Chicago Blackhawks earned a win over a terrible team Friday night, and they’ll look to do the same Sunday against the Arizona Coyotes. This is a game that the Hawks badly need to not just win, but also dominate against an inferior opponent.
That’s largely what happened in a 3-2 overtime win over Buffalo a couple days ago beyond the actual score. The Hawks skated circles around the Sabres for much of the game, but struggled to translate that into quality scoring chances on Robin Lehner.
The result was a flailing offensive effort that required a shorthanded goal in the final minutes of regulation, a save on a Jack Eichel penalty shot in overtime, and a last-second OT goal by Gustav Forsling to earn the win. Beating the Sabres, who are now tied with the Coyotes at the bottom of the NHL with 19 points, should’ve been easier than that.
The same will go for Sunday’s game against Arizona, so the hope here is that they’ll knock in the Coyotes’ teeth with a beatdown. Arizona has won just two games in regulation the entire season. Anything less than a lopsided victory would be considered a letdown for a team that badly needs two points.
Obviously this is just one game in mid-December and a long season will give the Hawks many chances to light a fire underneath themselves, but after dominating the shot distribution against the Sabres, it’d be nice to see that translate into a blowout win against a struggling opponent.
Starting lineups
Blackhawks
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Alex DeBrincat |
| F2 | Nick Schmaltz – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane |
| F3 | Patrick Sharp – Vinnie Hinostroza – Richard Pank |
| F4 | Lance Bouma – Tommy Wingels – John Hayden |
| D1 | Duncan Keith – Jordan Oesterle |
| D2 | Connor Murphy – Brent Seabrook |
| D3 | Gustav Forsling – Jan Rutta |
| Goaltender | Corey Crawford |
Coyotes
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Clayton Keller – Derek Stepan – Tobias Rieder |
| F2 | Max Domi – Christian Dvorak – Christian Fischer |
| F3 | Brendan Perlini – Dylan Strome – Anthony Duclair |
| F4 | Jordan Martinook – Brad Richardson – Zac Rinaldo |
| D1 | Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Jason Demers |
| D2 | Jakob Chychrun – Alex Goligoski |
| D3 | Kyle Capobianco – Luke Schenn |
| Goaltender | Scott Wedgewood |
How to watch Blackhawks vs. Coyotes
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: United Center, Chicago
TV: WGN