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Inside the Sun: Blackhawks vs. Sharks Preview

End it.

Posted on by Steve Kwiatkowski
Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

It’s here: Game 82 of the regular season for the Chicago Blackhawks, who host the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.

These two just played two Mondays ago, so there won’t be too much to dive into here. That game was a 6-2 loss for the Hawks in San Jose, who were hoping to grab a wild-card spot. They didn’t. At 80 games, the Sharks are fifth in the Pacific Division with 84 points, and it was the Los Angeles Kings who grabbed that final spot in the West — I’m just glad it wasn’t the Nashville Predators. San Jose is 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and is coming off a 3-2 win over the Predators on Monday night. One could argue that the Sharks were only close to a playoff spot because of a weak Pacific Division and points from non-regulation wins, but there’s no arguing the impact of a certain young forward on their roster.

Macklin Celebrini is fourth in the league with 112 points (44 G, 68 A) and is clearly having an incredible season. Celebrini has the third highest point total in a season by a teenager, with only Sidney Crosby (120 in 2005-06) and Wayne Gretzky (137 in 1979-80) ahead of him. Will Smith is second on the team in scoring with 57 points (23 G, 34 A), and veteran Alexander Wennberg is third in scoring with 55 (18 G, 37 A). Two other young forwards are past the 40-point mark, with William Eklund scoring 50 points (14 G, 36 A) and Colin Graf hitting 45 (20 G, 25 A). On the blue line, Dmitry Orlov leads in scoring with 36 points (3 G, 33 A), John Klingberg has 24 points (10 G, 14 A), and Mario Ferraro with 21 (6 G, 15 A). Not that their point totals are noteworthy, but San Jose’s defensive core is older, with their younger defensemen still figuring things out. Sam Dickinson has 14 points (1 G, 13 A) through 70 games played.

Below is their lineup from Monday’s game:

#SJSharks lines in Nashville, Cagnoni in, Nedeljkovic starts: Chernyshov-Celebrini-Smith Eklund-Wennberg-Sherwood Graf-Misa-Toffoli Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Gaudette Mukhamadullin-Orlov Dickinson-Ferraro Cagnoni-Desharnais Nedeljkovic

— Sheng Peng (@shengpeng.bsky.social) April 13, 2026 at 4:40 PM

Chicago is entering their final game of the season with a four-game losing streak and a 1-8-1 record in their last 10 games. It’s not so much that the losses have piled on for Chicago, it’s the effort that’s been given — or lack thereof. None of these young players have earned the right to mail it in at the end of the season. All 32 NHL teams have the same condensed schedule. Win or lose tonight, could we see something similar to Rick Bowness’s address to the media from Jeff Blashill? Probably not. But it’s worth a listen.

My point is that I have concerns about a disconnect between the coaching staff and the young players. I have a lot of questions surrounding Blashill’s lineup decisions and his coaching staff’s tactical approach. On one hand, I get the kids not wanting to play Blashill’s style (which has grown more conservative as the season wore on). On the other hand, there’s no excuse to smell the barn. Normally, I’d be hoping the Hawks can finish on a high note with a win tonight, but this stretch has already raised some concerns which will overshadow tonight’s results.

Optional skate this morning, with indications being that Spencer Knight is the starter for this season finale. Here are the lines from Tuesday’s practice:

Let’s go Hawks.

Tale of the Tape

Blackhawks — Statistic — Sharks
45.53% (31st) — 5-on-5 Corsi For — 46.87% (28th)
42.13% (32nd) — 5-on-5 Expected goals for — 46.60% (28th)
2.53 (31st) — Goals per game — 3.01 (17th)
3.31 (27th) — Goals against per game — 3.55 (30th)
46.0% (31st) — Faceoffs — 47.8% (27th)
17.2% (28th) — Power play — 20.9% (17th)
83.8% (2nd) — Penalty kill — 75.8% (28th)
(All stats from this season)

How to watch

When: 7:30 p.m. CT
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV: CHSN
Webstream: ESPN+
Radio: WGN 720

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