The Blackhawks get another look at the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday at the United Center, and this one comes with both teams carrying a very different feel than the first meeting.
Chicago enters at 5-13-1 after an overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres two nights earlier, a game they turned around after trailing 2-1 heading into the third period. Frank Nazar said the message in the room during the second intermission was simple.
"We came into the third period down a goal, and we said to everyone that we had to come out with this win," Nazar said. "We worked hard, and we earned it."
That kind of result has been a theme for a Blackhawks team that still has plenty to sort out, but continues to show fight. The wins may not start piling up fast enough to change the bigger picture, but the effort and the push to keep improving are still there.
Winnipeg comes in at 9-8-3 with a five-game winning streak, though the Jets have gone 5-5-0 over their last 10. Their season has had plenty of swings, and the group Chicago sees now is not the same one that came to the United Center in October and lost 4-3 on October 15.
That earlier version of Winnipeg was still dealing with the noise around Connor Hellebuyck’s holdout. Since then, the Jets have traded him to the New Jersey Devils and moved on. They also now have Josh Morrissey back, and that changes the look of their blue line in a major way.
Up front, Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor remain the headliners, but Winnipeg’s depth has been boosted by Dawson Mercer, Cole Perfetti, Alex Iafallo, and captain Adam Lowry. Viggo Bjorck, the Jets’ 8th overall pick in 2026 and a close friend of Blackhawks forward Anton Frondell, has been playing better lately, though he is still looking for his first NHL goal.
The projected Winnipeg lineup has Perfetti, Yager, and Mercer on the top line, with Iafallo, Lowry, and Bjorck behind them. Koepke, Barron, and Rosen round out the third line.
Morrissey and DeMelo are paired together, Samberg and Pionk form the second pair, and Ferraro and Bauer are listed on the third. Jeff Skinner and Nico Daws are the goalie options.
For Chicago, Bowen Byram remains day-to-day after missing most of the season. He has been practicing in a non-contact sweater, and while the Blackhawks are not saying much publicly beyond that status, the expectation is that he’ll be ready to jump in once he’s cleared. Jeff Blashill would not rule him out for this game, though the team is still treating him as day-to-day.
If Byram returns, Ethan Del Mastro would be the likely lineup casualty. Chicago’s projected forward groups have Kantserov with Bedard and Bertuzzi on the top line, Mangiapane with Frondell and Kane on the second, Moore with Nazar and Donato on the third, and Smith with Greene and Greenway on the fourth.
The defense pairs list Vlasic with Cole, Del Mastro with Levshunov, and Kaiser with Rinzel. Spencer Knight is projected in goal, with Drew Commesso as the backup. Knight started Thursday against Buffalo, so there is a chance Commesso could get his first NHL start of the season after beginning the year in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs.
One more lineup wrinkle remains tied to Patrick Kane’s return ahead of the Buffalo game, which pushed Teuvo Teravainen out of the lineup. Whether Teravainen comes back in is still unclear.
Chicago is not holding a morning skate on Saturday because of the day game, so some of the final answers will come later. Blashill is scheduled to speak at 1 PM, which could provide more clarity on Byram and the rest of the lineup decisions. The puck drops shortly after 2:30 PM CT.
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