Artem Anisimov is out and Vinnie Hinostroza is in for when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Washington Capitals on Friday night at the United Center.
Anisimov left Wednesday’s game in St. Louis in the second period with an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old Russian forward didn’t record a point before he left the game, ending his NHL career-high 11-game point streak. Coach Joel Quenneville told reporters there’s a chance Anisimov could return Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Marcus Kruger moves up to the second line in Anisimov’s spot, while Hinostroza returns to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last four games. He centered the third line with Ryan Hartman and Jordin Tootoo.
Corey Crawford will get the start in net as the Hawks look to extend their winning streak to eight. Of the seven wins, four of Chicago’s victories have been decided by one goal, including the Hawks’ 2-1 overtime win over St. Louis on Wednesday.
The Capitals had a five-game win streak before falling 3-0 to San Jose on Tuesday. Alex Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson have recorded 11 points respectively. Not surprisingly, Ovechkin leads the Capitals with seven goals while Nicklas Backstrom holds the team-lead with eight assists.
Braden Holtby will be in net for Washington. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has a .920 save percentage and 2.19 goals-against average this season. He holds a 4-2-0 record against the Hawks in his career, while Crawford is 3-3-1 against the Capitals.
Lineups
Blackhawks
Forwards
Nick Schmaltz — Jonathan Toews — Patrick Kane
Artemi Panarin — Marcus Kruger — Marian Hossa
Ryan Hartman — Vincent Hinsotroza — Jordin Tootoo
Andrew Desjardins — Dennis Rasmussen — Richard Panik
Defensemen
Duncan Keith — Brian Campbell
Michal Kempny — Brent Seabrook
Gustav Forsling — Niklas Hjalmarsson
Goalie
Corey Crawford
Capitals
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Marcus Johansson — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Justin Williams
Zachary Sanford — Jay Beagle — Daniel Winnik/Brent Connolly
Defensemen
Karl Alzner — Matt Niskanen
Dmitri Orlov — John Carlson
Brooks Orpik — Taylor Chorney
Goalies
Braden Holtby
How to watch Capitals at Blackhawks
Where: United Center, Chicago
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
TV: CSN