Jeremy Colliton will make his NHL coaching debut in front of the home crowd Thursday when the Chicago Blackhawks face the Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center.
Both teams enter the first game of the season series on five-game losing streaks. The Blackhawks’ skid reached five after a brutal 5-3 loss Saturday in Calgary. With Chicago leading 3-2 after two periods, the Flames surged back for a 5-3 victory.
On Tuesday, the Blackhawks fired head coach Joel Quenneville and assistant coaches Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson. Rockford IceHogs head coach Jeremy Colliton was named Chicago’s coach, along with Barry Smith serving as an assistant coach. The Blackhawks retained assistant coach Don Granato and goalie coach Jimmy Waite.
Corey Crawford is expected to get the nod over former Hurricane Cam Ward, who spent 12 seasons with Carolina and helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2006 as a rookie. Colliton is likely to give Ward the start Monday in Carolina. Crawford holds a 3-4-0 record with a .907 save percentage. He’s 5-4-0 in his career against the Hurricanes, tacking on a strong .924 save percentage.
After Duncan Keith’s game misconduct less than three minutes into Saturday’s game, Brent Seabrook put the team on his back and battled through being down their best defensemen. Seabrook logged a season-high 26:48 minutes on the ice with four blocked shots, two shot attempts and one takeaway.
No other skater on the Blackhawks roster is getting more time on ice than Keith with 22:45, but two young defensemen in Henri Jokiharju and Erik Gustafsson fall in line right behind him, with 21:34 and 21:20, respectively. Seabrook sits at 20:36 after Saturday night, right under Patrick Kane.
Young Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho is coming off an impressive 12-game assist streak, tying the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Ken Linseman as the only players in NHL history to accomplish that feat at the start of a season.
Aho is one of the many young talents the Hurricanes have on their roster this season. Micheal Ferland and Teuvo Teravainen each have 11 points behind Aho’s team-leading 17, and rookie winger Andrei Svechnikov is good for 5 points, having played all 14 games. At 18 years old, Svechnikov is quickly solidifying himself as a prominent figure for the future as the Hurricanes continue to grow.
Projected Lineups
Blackhawks
DeBrincat — Toews — Kahun
Schmaltz — Anisimov — Kane
Saad — Kampf — Fortin
Martinsen — Kruger — Kunitz
Keith — Jokiharju
Gustafsson — Seabrook
Manning — Rutta
Crawford
Ward
Colliton had conversations with Hayden, Johnson and Manning after the morning skate. They may be tonight’s scratches. They did not skate lines this morning.
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 8, 2018
Hurricanes
Ferland — Aho — Teravainen
Foegele — Staal — Williams
Martinook — Wallmark — Svechnikov
McGinn — Roy — Zykov
Slavin — Hamilton
De Haan — Faulk
Van Reimsdyk — Pesce
Darling
Mrazek
How to Watch
Time: 7:30 p.m. Central
Location: United Center, Chicago
TV: NBC Sports Chicago