The Blackhawks will try to accomplish something Tuesday night 29 active NHL teams have already done — beat the Golden Knights.
Chicago is 0-5-1 against Vegas since the team’s inception in 2017. The Golden Knights have outscored the Blackhawks 30-17 in that span and scored at least four goals in every meeting. The Blackhawks did muster their first point against Vegas last season with a 4-3 overtime home loss backstopped by AHL goaltender Collin Delia on Jan. 12.
The Blackhawks (2-3-1) enter the first of three games in the season series Tuesday following a 5-3 loss to the Capitals in rookie Kirby Dach’s debut. Dach, the third pick in this year’s NHL draft, held his own while centering the second line with fellow top-three picks Dylan Strome (third in 2015) and Patrick Kane (first in 2007). Dach, who did not record a shot on net against Washington, will resume his role on that line Tuesday.
Ryan Carpenter will face his former team for the first time. Carpenter, who signed a three-year deal with Chicago in July, spent the last two seasons with Vegas. He set a career highs in assists (13) and points (18) in 68 games last season but was a healthy scratch in the playoffs. The 28-year-old has played well in his fourth-line center for Chicago and has an assist in each of the last two games.
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Robin Lehner will return to the crease for Chicago after Corey Crawford allowed four goals against Washington. Lehner, like Crawford, has yet to record a win against the Golden Knights. Lehner has allowed four goals in two starts, including a 1-0 shootout loss with Buffalo and a 3-2 loss with the Islanders. He’s 1-0-1 with five goals allowed and a 1.51 goals saved above average across two starts this season with the Blackhawks.
The Golden Knights will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after a 6-2 loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia. The Flyers scored the first five goals, including four in the second period, against Oscar Dansk in his first NHL game since Oct. 30, 2017. Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith tallied goals for Vegas.
Smith leads the team with seven goals and is fourth in points with nine. Mark Stone’s leads the way with 13 points (six goals, seven assists) and Max Pacioretty is second with 10 (two goals, eight assists). Pacioretty had a team-high six points — all assists — against the Blackhawks last season.
Dansk started in favor of Marc-Andre Fleury, who played in the first games with eight starts. Fleury could return to the net against Chicago or Malcolm Subban could make his season debut. All three netminders have faced the Blackhawks, with Fleury having the most starts with four.
Tale of the tape
Blackhawks — Statistic — Golden Knights
48.7% (20th) — Corsi For — 49.9% (17th)
49.8% (17th) — Faceoffs — 48.3% (22nd)
3.00 (13th) — Goals per game — 3.30 (10th)
3.33 (20th) — Goals against per game — 2.70 (10th)
16.7% (22nd) — Power play — 28.6% (5th)
66.7% (29th) — Penalty kill — 90% (4th)
Andiamo Hawks
Lineups
Blackhawks
DeBrincat — Toews — Shaw
Strome — Dach — Kane
Saad — Kampf — Kubalik
Caggiula — Carpenter — Nylander
Keith — Murphy
Maatta — Seabrook
De Haan — Gustafsson
Lehner
Crawford
Golden Knights
Marchessault — Karlsson — Smith
Pacioretty — Stastny — Stone
Pirri — Eakin — Glass
Carrier — Nosek — Reaves
McNabb — Theodore
Merrill — Holden
Bischoff — Engelland
Fleury OR Subban
How to watch
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: United Center, Chicago
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Live stream: NBC Sports app