After falling to the Winnipeg Jets, a team that the Blackhawks have struggled against all season, the ‘Hawks have a chance to rebound form that rough game tonight against the Dallas Stars. Chicago has had much better fortunes against the Stars this season, going 3-0-0 against them so far this season. It’s the 4th of 5 meetings for the team this season, and the last one that the ‘Hawks will host.
The Blackhawks haven’t had the best of luck in their last 10 games, going 5-5-0 in that stretch. But one of those 5 wins came against the Stars, in a memorable affair in which the ‘Hawks were down by a goal 4 times, and still won the game 5-4. The Stars have gone 5-3-2 in their last 10, including winning 2 of their last 3. Both teams are looking for a change of recent fortune, so this is sure to be a tightly contested contest.
The Blackhawks made some lineup changes in practice yesterday, mostly to the bottom six. Look for Teuvo Teravainen to be centering Patrick Sharp and Ben Smith, while Andrew Shaw was bumped down to the 4th line wing to play with Joakim Nordstrom and Marcus Kruger.
With an in-person disciplinary hearing coming up, don’t expect forward Daniel Carcillo to be in the ‘Hawks lineup for this one. Corey Crawford is likely to start for the Blackhawks.
Opponent Breakdown: Dallas Stars
The Stars are playing the second game of a back-to-back tonight, having beaten the Washington Capitals 5-4 last night at home. They are 0-4-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season, which should inspire confidence in the Blackhawks’ chances in this one. They’ve also been awful against Central Division opponents this season, with just a 2-9-5 intra-division record.
In last night’s win against Washington, the Stars blew a 3-0 lead before scoring 2 goals in 15 seconds to secure their victory. They may carry some confidence into this matchup with the ‘Hawks, but their poor record against the Blackhawks, division, and in back-to-backs gives the ‘Hawks reason to be confident as well.
After Kari Lethonen started last night’s game against Washington, look for backup goalie Anders Lindback to start for the ‘Hawks tonight, but that isn’t exactly set in stone. The Stars have also been extremely injury-plagued, with several players missing from their lineup, as you can see below.
Injury Report
Blackhawks: Kris Versteeg (hand), Trevor van Reimsdyk (knee)
Stars: Trevor Daley (undisclosed), Brett Ritchie (undisclosed), Patrick Eaves (ankle), Valeri Nichushkin (hip), Patrik Nemeth (arm), Rich Peverley (heart)
Game Information
When: 5:00 p.m. CT
Where: United Center
TV: WGN
Radio: WGN-720
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