Scott Darling will be in net and Patrick Kane will take his 14-game point streak into Calgary on Friday night as the Blackhawks go for their second win over the Flames in less than a week. It’s the second game of the annual circus trip for Chicago, which opened the stretch by beating the Oilers in Edmonton on Wednesday.
One change for the lineup will see Teuvo Teravainen sitting out with a minor upper-body injury. Andrew Desjardins, a healthy scratch the last three games, will have another shot at finding some scoring and consistency in his game after being called upon to replace Teuvo in the bottom six. It also looks like Marko Dano is out with an illness, which means Viktor Tikhonov is back as well.
The Blackhawks played a complete game in their victory against Calgary last Sunday with contributions across all lines for the first time this year. After getting out of Edmonton with a win on a very mediocre effort Wednesday night, the Hawks hope to finish their swing through Western Canada with another win. Last year the Hawks began the circus trip three games above .500 and had a stellar run against the Pacific Division that would set the stage for an amazing December.
Kane’s linemate Artemi Panarin leads all NHL rookies with seven goals and 21 points after yet another multi-point game on Wednesday night. Along with center Artem Anisimov, the Hawks’ powerhouse second line is among the best in the business. The Hawks need to take advantage of Calgary’s weak defense and put some pucks in net early. The Flames have allowed a league-high 73 goals with a whopping minus-26 goal differential. It would be a wasted opportunity not to secure two points.
Projected lines:
Dano-Toews-Hossa
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
Mashinter-Kruger-Desjardins
Tikhonov-Kero-Garbutt
Defensive pairings:
Hjalmarsson-Keith
TVR-Seabrook
Rozsival-Daley
Opponent Breakdown
Calgary Flames | Record: 7-12-1 | 6th in Pacific Division | Goal differential: -26
Fresh off a home ice win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, the Flames are trying to gain some momentum going in a season that has seen more disappointment than success. David Jones scored the 100th goal of his career against the Devils and leads the team with seven goals.
Sean Monahan has six goals on the season and his line — also featuring Johnny Gaudreau, who is the team point leader with 18 points, and veteran Jiri Hudler — has been Calgary’s best early on this season. Monahan continues to be one of the league’s best young forwards since entering the NHL as an 18-year-old. He has compiled 14 points in 20 games already and is averaging over 20 minutes a night for a team that’s counting on its young stars to show that last season’s run was not a fluke.
While the Gaudreau line has been Calgary’s strongest, the second line of Mikael Backlund, Sam Bennett and former Blackhawk Michael Frolik has been the team’s best in terms of possession numbers. The Blackhawks will need to stifle both lines as they did last Sunday. Bennett, the No. 4 overall pick in 2014, floundered in his first eight games, but has surged back with 10 points (4G, 6A) in the nine games since. Backlund has six points in his last five games and Frolik provides support in the offensive zone as well as defensive know-how.
Projected lines:
Gaudreau-Monaghan-Hudler
Bennett-Backlund-Frolik
Colbourne-Stajan-Jones
Ferland-Jooris-Bollig
Giordano-Brodie
Russell-Hamiliton
Engelland-Wideman
Injuries
Blackhawks: Teuvo Teravainen
Flames: Jonas Hiller, Lance Bouma
How to watch
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
TV: CSN Chicago