With a shootout loss to the Kings on Friday, the Blackhawks picked up at least a point in their third consecutive game and look to keep that trend going Sunday when they host the Minnesota Wild at the United Center.
Brandon Saad picked up his fifth goal of season when he tied the game late in the third against the Kings, but the Blackhawks ultimately fell 2-1 in a shootout, with goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Anze Kopitar sealing their fate.
Despite letting in two goals in the shootout to lose the extra point, Corey Crawford seems to be improving with each game, which is good news for the Blackhawks. Crawford, who is 4-6-1 record with a .916 save percentage, is expected to start against Minnesota.
Chicago is 0-0-1 against the Wild this season, following a 4-3 overtime road loss Oct. 11 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in only the fourth game of the season.
Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton shook up his lines a bit Saturday morning, adding Saad to the top line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and moving Nick Schmaltz down to the second line.
Luke Johnson, Chris Kunitz and Brandon Manning were rotating in as the odd men out.
Since Colliton took over, Manning’s ice time has been largely reduced, going from his season high 21:34 minutes against the Flames on Nov. 3, to 13:46 against the Kings. His lowest this season was 13:03 all the way back on Oct. 6.
While Johnson has been averaging 11:04 in his rookie season, he’s only contributed one point in 12 games, and veteran Kunitz has yet to score a goal for his new team as well. Kunitz has two points through 19 games.
With Alex DeBrincat and Schmaltz reunited on the second line, the Blackhawks look to youth to boost the offense. Brandon Davidson (right leg) remains on injured reserve. Connor Murphy (back) continues to improve, and participated in drills with assistant coach Don Granato on Saturday.
The Wild come in to the United Center off just their second regulation loss in eight games. After winning five straight, the Wild dropped two of their last three with a 5-2 loss to the Capitals on Tuesday and a 3-2 setback to the Sabres on Saturday.
It’s clear defense is critical for the Wild, seeing as they don’t have a single player in the top 10 in goals, assists or points category across the NHL. Mikael Granlund is currently tied for 14th in goals with 10, and goaltender Devan Dubnyk is second just behind Frederik Andersen in wins with nine.
That doesn’t mean they don’t produce, however.
Granlund is one of nine Wild players, including seven forwards, with more than 10 points. Minnesota is injury free, giving it opportunities to depend on its superstars every game.
Hockey Fights Cancer
The Blackhawks will honor TV color analyst and former player Eddie Olcyzk with their “One More Shift” program as part of Hockey Fights Cancer. Olcyzk overcame Stage 3 colon cancer last season, and announced he was cancer-free in March.
Olczyk played five seasons with his hometown team (1984-87; 1998-2000), scoring 209 points (77 goals, 132 assists) in 322 games. In his 16-year NHL career, he recorded 794 points in 1,031 games with the Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Jets, Rangers, Kings and Penguins. He won the Stanley Cup in 1994 with the Rangers and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in October 2012.
Projected Lineups
Blackhawks
Saad — Toews — Kane
DeBrincat — Anisimov — Schmaltz
Fortin — Kampf — Kahun
Martinsen — Kruger — Hayden
Keith — Seabrook
Gustafsson — Jokiharju
Forsling — Rutta
Crawford
Ward
Wild
Zucker — Staal — Granlund
Parise — Koivu — Niederreiter
Foligno — Coyle — Greenway
Hendricks — Fehr — Brown
Suter — Dumba
Brodin — Spurgeon
Seeler — Pateryn
Dubnyk
Stalock
How to Watch
Time: 5 p.m., Central
Location: United Center, Chicago
TV: WGN