A triple-header of national broadcasts kicks off the 2026-27 NHL regular season on Tuesday, with the Blackhawks at the tail end of that trio for a game in Sin City against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas was just a few wins shy of the Cup last summer, falling in six games to the champion Carolina Hurricanes in the 2026 Final. Most of that roster is back, although the main subtraction is a noticeable one: forward Pavel Dorofeyev, a salary cap casualty who had a team-high 37 goals during the regular season and 12 more in the playoffs. But VGK made the most of that situation by picking up a pair of first-round picks and a third in a trade with the Rangers, so they didn’t walk away empty-handed. Replacing him in the forward lineup will be 20-year-old Trevor Connelly, the 2024 No. 19 overall pick who was over a point per game (14 G, 35 A in 46 games) in the AHL last season and is expected to slot in the on the third line.
Fellow youngster Braden Bowman will join Connelly in the bottom six in a fourth-line role, and those two will have a familiar face behind the bench in first-time NHL head coach Ryan Craig, who was coaching the Henderson Silver Knights for the last three seasons before his promotion this summer after VGK elected to not hang on to John Tortorella despite his postseason success. Craig receives about as talented of a roster as any first-time NHL head coach, with plenty of familiar names worthy of large font sizes on any marquee. The list includes forwards Jack Eichel (90 points in 74 games last season), Mitch Marner (80 in 81) and Mark Stone (73 in 60) along with blue-liners Shea Theodore (39 in 70, 22:50 average ice time), Noah Hanifin (28 in 71, 22:36) and Rasmus Andersson (17 in 33 and 21:42 with VGK following midseason trade). The star power up top and depth down below for VGK is difficult to match — or surpass.
But there are still some noticeable cracks in the Knights’ foundation because of the goalie situation. Adin Hill (10-9-6 record, .870 save percentage, 3.04 goals-against average) played himself to the bench last season, which led to the midseason signing of Carter Hart (11-3-3, .891, 2.71), who was trash on the ice — just like he is off of it! Hart improved just enough in the postseason to help VGK reach the Cup before throwing up a .863 save percentage and 3.45 goals-against average in the Final. Oops. Most preseason projections of the Golden Knights point to goaltending as the biggest question mark for this team, because the players in front do an excellent job of generating chances and goals at one end while minimizing both in their own.
Hart’s the expected starter, and the rest of the VGK lineup is probably going to be what was reported at its Monday practice:
As for the Hawks, their roster contains much more unproven talent and continues to not have its top player in Connor Bedard, who continues his recovery from an offseason injury that was expected to have him out until, roughly, November. The lineup below is full of kids: two on the top line, two on the second line, another on the third and fourth line each. Four of the six blue-liners are Chicago draft picks, with two more watching from the press box and likely seeing game action at some point soon. The goalie wasn’t drafted by the Hawks but is just 25 years old and has played about half (70) of his 150 career NHL games with this franchise. The kids are here, and it’s time to see what they can do.
This is also the first game in three years for Patrick Kane in a Blackhawks uniform, although the fanfare surrounding his return will be a little more muted until next Tuesday’s home opener. Still, he’s seeing a top line role opposite a first-round pick with the line centered by the one prospect who may be the most interesting player to watch this entire season:
The initial run of games for this youthful Hawks side is not an easy one, but perhaps the youth on this roster has a little extra jump to its game compared to a more veteran-laden side that may be eyeing games in April, May and/or June instead of late September. Jumping on this Vegas team with a red-hot start before its star power reaches full strength may be the best course of action here.
Let’s go Hawks.
Tale of the Tape
Blackhawks — Statistic — Golden Knights
45.60% (30th) — 5-on-5 Corsi For — 52.31% (7th)
42.25% (32nd) — 5-on-5 Expected goals for — 54.02% (5th)
2.56 (30th) — Goals per game — 3.22 (14th)
3.29 (27th) — Goals against per game — 2.95 (12th)
46.0% (31st) — Faceoffs — 51.0% (12th)
16.9% (29th) — Power play — 24.6% (6th)
83.6% (2nd) — Penalty kill — 81.4% (6th)
(All stats from last season)
How to watch
When: 9:30 p.m. CT
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
TV: ESPN
Webstream: ESPN+
Radio: WGN 720