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Blackhawks vs. Panthers preview: Hawks return to the UC

The Chicago Blackhawks host the Florida Panthers Monday night in their first game back at the United Center since going on their final annual Circus Trip.

The Hawks snagged a point against the Kings Saturday night with an over-time loss, ending the Circus Trip with a 3-3-1 record. Chicago now holds a 14-6-3 record overall, keeping them at the top in the West.

Jonathan Toews will miss another game due to injury after skipping practice on Tuesday morning. Toews left the ice against the San Jose Sharks on the Circus Trip with an upper-body injury, and has not returned to the ice since.

Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov, and Scott Darling did not practice with the Hawks on Monday, however all three are expected to play Tuesday.

On Sunday evening, it was announced that Florida Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant had been fired, spreading confusion across the league. The Panthers have been playing above .500 with a 11-10-1 record to start the year – not your typical reason to fire a coach. Gallant lead the Panthers to a division title last season, solidifying himself as the runner-up for the Jack Adams coach of the year award. Florida will hit the ice without Gallant for the first time on Tuesday, with Panthers General manager Tom Rowe taking over as coach.

The Hawks and Panthers split their series last season, with the Hawks winning 3-2 before dropping a 4-0 loss on the road. Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook each tallied a goal and two assists while Corey Crawford stopped 16 of 18 shots in the win. A notable Panthers’ goal scorer against Chicago last season was Brian Campbell, who is now back on the blue line for the Hawks.

For more on the Panthers, visit Litter Box Cats.

Lineups

Blackhawks

Forwards

Artemi Panarin – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane

Ryan Hartman – Vinnie Hinostroza – Marian Hossa

Dennis Rasmussen – Marcus Kruger – Tyler Motte

Andrew Desjardins – Nick Schmaltz – Richard Panik

Defensemen

Duncan Keith – Brian Campbell

Gustav Forsling – Niklas Hjalmarsson

Michal Kempny – Brent Seabrook

Goalie

Corey Crawford

Panthers

Forwards

Jussi Jokinen – Aleksander Barkov – Jaromir Jagr

Jonathan Marchessault – Vincent Trocheck – Reilly Smith

Nick Bjugstad – Denis Malgin – Colton Sceviour

Seth Griffin – Derek MacKenzie – Kyle Rau

Defensemen

Keith Yandle – Jason Demers

Jakub Kindl – Aaron Ekblad

Mark Pysyk – Michael Matheson

Goalie

Roberto Luongo

*Lines will be updated if necessary

How to watch Blackhawks vs. Panthers

Time: 7:30 p.m. CT

Where: United Center

TV: CSN-CH, FS-F

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