The Chicago Blackhawks will aim for a season sweep of the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night at the United Center.
Chicago (25-27-8) took the first game of the season series in convincing fashion with an 8-2 win Jan. 9 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. Patrick Kane had a NHL career-high five points (one goal, four assists) and Nick Schmaltz and Jonathan Toews each scored twice. Anton Forsberg made 25 saves and had an assist.
Forsberg is expected to start for Chicago again. The 25-year-old has posted a 6-12-3 record with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.
Chicago is coming off a 3-1 home loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. It was the Hawks’ ninth loss in their last 10 games. Patrick Sharp scored Chicago’s lone goal. Sharp and Lance Bouma will be healthy scratches against Ottawa.
Ottawa (21-28-9) is also likely to miss the playoffs one year removed from coming a goal short of reaching the Stanley Cup Final for only the second time in franchise history. The Senators have dropped 10 of their last 16 games and are among six teams in the league with a worst point total than Chicago.
Mark Stone leads Ottawa offensively with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists). Stone had a goal and an assist in the Senators’ loss to the Hawks earlier this season. Erik Karlsson, the two-time Norris Trophy winner, continues to rack up points from the blue line with 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in his last 11 games. He sits three points away from 500 for his NHL career.
The Senators will see forward Ryan Dzingel return to the lineup after a two-game absence to attend to “family health issues.” The Wheaton, Ill., native has 15 goals this season. Another Illinois native in Park Ridge’s Craig Anderson is 0-3 in net with Ottawa in Chicago, so Mike Condon is expected to start. Condon 4-10-4 with a 3.40 GAA and a .898 save percentage this season. In four career outings against Chicago, he is 1-2-0 with a 3.19 GAA and .894 save percentage. Condon’s lone win against the Hawks came Dec. 20, 2016, in Chicago.
Chicago has done quite well against Ottawa at home. The Hawks are 7-1 in their last eight games at United Center against the Senators.
Lineups
Blackhawks
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Tommy Wingels |
| F2 | Tomas Jurco – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane |
| F3 | Alex DeBrincat – Nick Schmaltz – Anthony Duclair |
| F4 | Vinnie Hinostroza – David Kampf – Ryan Hartman |
| D1 | Duncan Keith – Jordan Oesterle |
| D2 | Connor Murphy – Brent Seabrook |
| D3 | Carl Dahlstrom – Erik Gustafsson |
| Goaltender | Anton Forsberg |
Senators
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Mike Hoffman – Matt Duchene – Marian Gaborik |
| F2 | Zack Smith – Derick Brassard – Mark Stone |
| F3 | Maguns Paajarvi – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Tom Pyatt |
| F4 | Max McCormick – Nick Shore – Ryan Dzingel |
| D1 | Johnny Oduya – Erik Karlsson |
| D2 | Mark Borowiecki – Cody Ceci |
| D3 | Fredrik Claesson – Thomas Chabot |
| Goaltender | Craig Anderson OR Mike Condon |
*Lines are subject to change.
How to watch Senators at Blackhawks
Start time: 7 p.m. CT
Location: United Center, Chicago
TV: NBC Sports Chicago, NHL Network-U.S.