The Chicago Blackhawks will seek back-to-back wins when they visit the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday at MTS Centre.
Chicago has found plenty of success in Winnipeg with an 8-2 record. The Hawks are also 2-0 this season against the Jets. Patrick Kane, David Kampf and Nick Schmaltz have each tallied one goal and an assist during those two games.
The Hawks have seen an offensive outburst from defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who has five points (one goal, four assists) during his last two games since signing a two-year contract extension. He has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) this season.
Chicago captain Jonathan Toews is slowing gaining steam as the season winds down. Toews, a Winnipeg native, has three multi-point outings in the Hawks’ last six games.
Anton Forsberg will start in net for Chicago. He has never faced Winnipeg in his career.
Winnipeg is led by the one-two punch of Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine. Wheeler paces the Jets with 77 points and 59 assists. He’s two points short of surpassing his 2015-16 career-high. Laine is also on the cusp of history as he needs only one point Thursday to move pass Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the longest point streak by a teenager at 15 games. The Finnish sniper has five points (three goals, two assists) in seven games in his career against Chicago.
The Jets will see forward Paul Stastny return to the lineup after missing the Jets’ last game. The 32-year-old has two goals and eight points in seven games since being traded from St. Louis to Winnipeg on Feb. 26.
Winnipeg could also see the return of defenseman Jacob Trouba, who has missed the last 20 games, according to Mark Lazerus of The Chicago Sun Times. Trouba, 24, has 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 50 games this season.
Lineups
Blackhawks
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane |
| F2 | Matthew Highmore – Nick Schmaltz – Vinnie Hinostroza |
| F3 | Tomas Jurco – Artem Anisimov – Alex DeBrincat |
| F4 | Patrick Sharp – David Kampf – John Hayden |
| D1 | Duncan Keith – Jan Rutta |
| D2 | Erik Gustafsson – Brent Seabrook |
| D3 | Jordan Oesterle – Connor Murphy |
| Goaltender | Anton Forsberg OR Jean-Francois Berube |
Blues
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| F1 | Jaden Schwartz – Brayden Schenn – Vladimir Tarasenko |
| F2 | Patrik Berglund – Kyle Brodziak – Alex Steen |
| F3 | Dmitrij Jaskin – Vladimir Sobotka – Tage Thompson |
| F4 | Nikita Soshnikov – Ivan Barbashev – Chris Thorburn |
| D1 | Carl Gunnarsson – Alex Pietrangelo |
| D2 | Vince Dunn – Colton Parayko |
| D3 | Joel Edmundson – Robert Bortuzzo |
| Goaltender | Jake Allen OR Ville Husso |
*Lines are subject to change.
How to watch Blackhawks at Jets
Start time: 7 p.m. CT
Location: MTS Centre, Winnipeg
TV: NBC Sports Chicago