The Chicago Blackhawks head into Thursday night’s matchup in Tampa carrying the weight of another rough loss and the challenge of a second game in as many nights. After getting beaten by the Florida Panthers on national television Wednesday, Chicago now has to turn around quickly and deal with one of the NHL’s best teams in a tough road setting.
The opponent is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who come in at 9-3-2 and still look like a heavyweight despite the turbulence surrounding the franchise. Last week brought news that Nikita Kucherov told the Lightning he has no intention of signing an extension after this season and would prefer to be traded. He is not expected to miss games because of it, and Tampa still has plenty of firepower around him.
Kucherov’s resume tells you why the Lightning remain dangerous. He has won the Stanley Cup twice, reached four Finals, taken home the Hart Trophy two times, the Art Ross Trophy three times, and made seven All-Star teams.
In 893 career games, he has 405 goals, 739 assists, and 1144 points. At 33, there is still a strong belief he can keep producing at a high level for years to come, and his game has never been built on pure speed anyway.
It is his vision and hockey sense that drive everything.
Tampa’s top group is loaded. Braden Point, Jake Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli, and Brandon Hagel give the Lightning a deep collection of high-end forwards, and the lineup around Kucherov only adds to the problem for Chicago.
One familiar face for Blackhawks fans is Ilya Mikheyev, who is now with Tampa after being an outstanding forward during his time in Chicago. His strong 5-on-5 play and penalty-kill work helped earn him his current contract.
The Lightning also bring a strong defensive structure, especially on the left side with JJ Moser, Ryan McDonagh, and Victor Hedman. In goal, they can turn to Andrei Vasilevskiy, with Dennis Hildeby listed as the backup.
Chicago’s projected forward group has Connor Bedard centered between Kantserov and Tyler Bertuzzi, with Frank Nazar moving into the second line after a two-goal night against Florida. He scored both of his goals in the third period, and that kind of offensive push is exactly what the Blackhawks need more of if they want to climb out of this slump.
Projected lines for Chicago have Moore with Nazar and Donato, Smith with Frondell and Teravainen, and a fourth line that could include Mangiapane or Boucher with Greene and Greenway. On defense, the pairings listed are Vlasic with Cole and Kaiser with Levshunov, while Del Mastro, Rinzel, and Korchinski are also in the mix. Arvid Soderblom is projected to start in goal, with Knight also listed.
The bigger issue for Chicago is the construction of the roster itself. The Blackhawks are leaning heavily on youth, with all four centers 23 or younger and only Connor Bedard viewed as a true center at this stage.
Patrick Kane remains out with an injury and is expected back soon, but other veteran forwards such as Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, and Ryan Donato have not provided enough help for the younger players. The blue line is also thin, with Bowen Byram still sidelined and Ian Cole no longer at the level he once was, leaving much of the defense group in the same age range as the team’s young core.
Warmups will reveal the scratches, and the lineup could still change before puck drop. Unless Jeff Blashill goes back to Knight for a second straight night, Soderblom should get his fourth start of the season.
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area and seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, it will stream on ESPN+. Puck drop is set for shortly after 6:00 PM CT.
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