The Blackhawks continue their push to a possible wild-card spot in the Western Conference when they visit the Coyotes on Tuesday night at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Chicago trails Arizona by three points and is five points back of Colorado for the second wild card in the West. The Blackhawks split a home-and-home with the Avalanche last weekend after Duncan Keith went coast-to-coast and scored the game-winning goal in overtime Sunday in Chicago.
Keith’s goal snapped the Blackhawks’ three-game skid as they head out West on a three-game road trip. The first stop on the trip will be in Arizona, a place where former Blackhawks now call home and current Blackhawks used to play.
Here’s how that breaks down:
Arizona: Niklas Hjalmarsson, Vinnie Hinostroza, Jordan Oesterle, Richard Panik, Antti Raanta, Nick Schmaltz (IR)
Chicago: Connor Murphy, Brendan Perlini, Dylan Strome
For Perlini and Strome, it’ll be their first game back in Arizona since being traded to Chicago in exchange for Schmaltz in November. Perlini has tallied eight goals and 10 points in 11 games this month with three multi-point games, while Strome has posted career highs with 14 goals and 44 points in 51 games since the trade. It’ll also be Strome’s 100th career NHL game. The game also falls on Murphy’s 26th birthday.
Marcus Kruger was also a part of the Coyotes organization for almost two months last summer after Carolina traded him to the desert. The Coyotes then traded him back to Chicago in the seven-player Marian Hossa deal.
Corey Crawford is expected to start for Chicago. He’s 13-17-3 with a 2.97 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.
The Coyotes, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2012, are coming off a 2-0 road loss Sunday against the Islanders. It was Arizona’s fifth straight loss, but they’ve managed to grab two points during the stretch with an overtime loss to Edmonton and a shootout loss to New Jersey.
Clayton Keller paces the Coyotes with 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 76 games this season. Alex Galchenyuk and Brad Richardson are tied for the team lead in goals with 17. Hinostroza is right behind them with a career-high 15 goals.
In net, Darcy Kuemper is the projected starter. He’s 24-19-7 with a 2.45 GAA and .921 save percentage.
Arizona and Chicago have split the season series so far. The Coyotes won the first outing 4-1 in October in Chicago then Perlini scored his first career NHL hat trick to lead the Blackhawks to a 7-1 win March 11 at the United Center.
A win by Chicago on Tuesday will also help the Blues and Golden Knights clinch a playoff spot.
Lineups will be changed if line rushes are done during practice.
Lineups
Blackhawks
Sikura — Toews — Kane
Perlini — Strome — Kahun
Saad — Anisimov — Sikura
Kunitz — Kampf — Kruger
Forsling — Seabrook
Koekkoek — Murphy
Crawford
Ward
Coyotes
Panik — Dvorak — Keller
Crouse — Stepan — Archibald
Grabner — Richardson — Hinostroza
Galchenyuk — Cousins — Garland
Ekman-Larsson — Hjalmarsson
Goligoski — Demers
Chychrun — Oesterle
How to watch
When: 9 p.m., Central
Where: Gila River Arena; Glendale, Arizona
TV: WGN