The Chicago Blackhawks host the New York Rangers on Friday night at the United Center in their third game of a four game homestand.
After losing back-to-back games against the Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets, Chicago got its legs back Tuesday night to earn a 4-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Scott Darling earned his first shutout of the season in the win, boosting his save percentage to .919, with a 2.39 goals-against average.
With Corey Crawford recovering from his appendectomy, Darling will once again get the nod Friday night.
Chicago will be missing yet another star player in Friday’s lineup. Not only will Jonathan Toews miss his eighth straight game due to a back injury, but Brent Seabrook will also be watching from the sidelines. Seabrook suffered an upper-body injury in Tuesday’s win over the Coyotes, after an awkward fall from colliding with Arizona’s Jordan Martinook. The Blackhawks defensemen is now listed as day-to-day, but it is still unclear who will take his place on the blue line.
It was also announced after Thursday’s practice that Toews could potentially return for Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Stars.
The Rangers have been pretty hot so far this season, boasting a 18-9-1 record, good enough for second in the Metropolitan Division. Friday night’s game will be the second half of back-to-back games for the Rangers, as they’re coming off a 2-1 win over the Jets on Thursday night.
Despite playing against the Jets, Antti Raanta will get start back-to-back starts in net for the Rangers. Raanta is 6-1-0 with a .932 save percentage, and he holds a 14-0-3 record with a lifetime .942 save percentage at the United Center.
In Chicago and New York’s two meetings last season, the Hawks fell 3-2 in their season opener, with Henrik Lundqvist putting up a 32-save performance for the Rangers. However, Chicago avenged the loss in February with a 5-3 victory, which saw Artemi Panarin record his first career NHL hat trick.
For more on the Rangers, visit Blueshirt Banter.
Lineups
Blackhawks
Forwards
Artemi Panarin – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane
Ryan Hartman – Marcus Kruger – Marian Hossa
Tyler Motte – Dennis Rasumussen – Richard Panik
Andrew Desjardins – Vinnie Hinostroza – Jordin Tootoo
Defensemen
Duncan Keith – Niklas Hjalmarsson
Brian Campbell – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Gustav Forsling – Michal Rozsival
Goalie
Scott Darling
Rangers
Forwards
Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner – Kevin Hayes – J.T. Miller
Marek Hrivik – Brandon Pirri – Jesper Fast
Josh Jooris – Oscar Lindberg – Nicklas Jensen
Defensemen
Ryan McDonagh – Dan Girardi
Marc Staal – Nick Holden
Brady Skjei – Kevin Klein
Goalie
Antti Raanta
*Lines will be updated if necessary
How to watch Rangers at Blackhawks
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Where: United Center
TV: CSN Chicago