The Blackhawks will play the Flyers for the second and final time this season when Chicago wraps up its seven-game homestand Thursday night at the United Center. The Flyers claimed the first outing 4-3 in the season opener for both teams in Prague thanks to two goals by Travis Konecny.
Chicago (2-3-2) will be without defenseman Connor Murphy (groin), who was placed on long-term injured reserve Wednesday, like it was in the season opener but they’ll have Calvin de Haan in the lineup this time. De Haan will slot up in the lineup alongside Duncan Keith, while Slater Koekkoek draws in on the third pairing with Erik Gustafsson.
Related
Blackhawks place Connor Murphy on LTIR, recall Dennis Gilbert
The rest of Chicago’s lineup will stay the same, including Kirby Dach centering the second line. The Blackhawks top prospect scored his first NHL goal in the first period of the team’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Golden Knights.
Random interesting note: Vegas was credited with only 5 high-danger scoring chances last night (per Natural Stat Trick), tied for the fewest the Blackhawks have allowed since March 2017.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 23, 2019
Chicago will call on goaltender Robin Lehner to start back-to-back games for the first time this season after his stellar 33-save outing. He’s 4-6 with a 3.01 GAA in 10 career games against the Flyers.
Lehner has posted a 1.93 goals-against average and 3.52 goals saved above average in three starts. Corey Crawford (3.58 GAA, minus-2.41 GSAA) allowed four goals against the Flyers (3-3-1) in the season opener, including a fluky bounce off Koekkoek’s chest. Lehner’s start Thursday will give Chicago a perfect split through eight games between both netminders.
Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Alexander Nylander each scored a goal against the Flyers. Kane is the Blackhawks’ leading scorer with eight points (three goals, five assists) in seven games.
At the other end of the ice, veteran Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott will also start back-to-back games for the first time this season after a 33-save outing against Vegas. The 34-year-old, however, picked up the win Monday as the Flyers put six goals past Oscar Dansk for a 6-2 victory to snap a three-game skid. Elliott is 9-9-1 with a 2.27 GAA in 21 career games against Chicago.
The Flyers will also have a top prospect playing in the game with winger Joel Farabee, who had three shots in his NHL debut Monday. The 2018 first-rounder scored three goals and an assist in four AHL games before he was recalled.
Related
Joel Farabee’s debut takes a back seat to Flyers’…
Through seven games, Ivan Provorov has rebounded in a big way
Konecny leads the Flyers in scoring with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games. Oskar Lindblom also has four goals.
Tale of the tape
Blackhawks — Statistic — Flyers
50.1% (24th) — Corsi For — 56.5% (1st)
50.4% (13th) — Faceoffs — 56.7% (1st)
2.71 (20th) — Goals per game — 3.00 (13th)
3.00 (17th) — Goals against per game — 2.86 (19th)
13.6% (25th) — Power play — 27.6% (5th)
73.9% (24th) — Penalty kill — 75.0% (23rd)
Andiamo Hawks
Lineups
Blackhawks
DeBrincat — Toews — Shaw
Strome — Dach — Kane
Saad — Kampf — Kubalik
Nylander — Carpenter — Caggiula
Keith — De Haan
Maatta — Seabrook
Koekkoek — Gustafsson
Lehner
Crawford
Flyers
Van Riemsdyk — Giroux — Voracek
Lindblom — Couturier — Konecny
Laughton — Hayes — Farabee
Raffl — Vorobyov — Stewart
Provorov — Niskanen
Sanheim — Braun
Hagg — Gostisbehere
Elliott
Hart
How to watch
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Live stream: NBC Sports app