The Blackhawks are back home Saturday night, but the assignment waiting for them at the United Center is a brutal one.
Chicago opens a seven-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes, who arrive with points in four of their first five games and the look of a team already rolling. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. CT, with the game on CHSN.
The Blackhawks are trying to stop the bleeding after Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, their fourth defeat in five games to start the 2026-27 season. Now they have to do it without Frank Nazar, who was suspended two games by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for his illegal hit on Islanders captain Bo Horvat late in that loss. Saturday will be the first game of that suspension.
That absence matters because Chicago’s offense has already been thin without Connor Bedard. The Blackhawks have scored eight goals, not counting two empty-netters, in five games. Taking away Nazar only tightens the squeeze against a Carolina team that has been sharp on both sides of the puck.
The Hurricanes are coming off a 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, a game that featured Logan Stankoven’s first NHL hat trick, two goals from Andrei Svechnikov, and four assists from Sean Walker. Through five games, Carolina ranks sixth in the league on the power play at 29.2 percent, seventh on the penalty kill at 91.3 percent, seventh in goals per game at 3.60, and 14th in goals allowed per game at 2.80. They’ve outscored opponents 16-8 during their three-game winning streak.
For Chicago, the challenge gets even steeper because the club needs more from its top names. Patrick Kane and Bowen Byram have combined for just two points this season, and both belong to Kane.
He has gone without a shot on goal in three of the last four games, while Byram is still looking for his first point as a Blackhawk. If Chicago is going to spring the upset and stay unbeaten at home, those two have to drive the offense.
The lineup shuffle reflects the situation. Nick Lardis moves onto the top line with Ryan Greene and Kane, while Roman Kantserov, Anton Frondell, and Tyler Bertuzzi make up the second line.
Teuvo Teravainen, who was initially listed as doubtful with a lower-body injury, will try to play through it against his former team and skate with Ryan Donato and Dominic Toninato on the third line. Oliver Moore slides to the fourth line with Cole Smith and Jordan Greenway after a rough night in the loss to the Islanders.
Nazar is out, Connor Bedard remains sidelined with a shoulder injury, and Andrew Mangiapane is also out with a lower-body injury. Ethan Del Mastro and Kevin Korchinski are scratched on defense.
Chicago is keeping the same three defensive pairings it used in its last two games: Bowen Byram with Artyom Levshunov, Alex Vlasic with Ian Cole, and Wyatt Kaiser with Sam Rinzel.
Carolina’s lineup is less certain because the Hurricanes did not hold a morning skate in Chicago, but the projected group comes from Thursday’s win over Vancouver. That forward mix has Sebastian Aho between Andrei Svechnikov and William Carrier, Logan Stankoven centering Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, and Jordan Staal between Nikolaj Ehlers and Jordan Martinook. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is projected to center the fourth line with Mark Jankowski and Eric Robinson.
The blue line projection has Jaccob Slavin and Jacob Chatfield, K’Andre Miller and Sean Walker, and Shayne Gostisbehere with Mike Reilly. Nicolas Deslauriers and Juuso Valimaki are scratched, while Seth Jarvis remains out with a shoulder injury.
In net, Spencer Knight is projected to start for Chicago for the fourth time this season. He stopped 25 of 27 shots in Tuesday’s win over St.
Louis and has a strong track record against Carolina, going 4-2-0 with a 2.63 GAA, .911 save percentage, and two shutouts in six career appearances against the Hurricanes. Brandon Bussi is expected to go for Carolina for the fourth time this season after stopping 16 of 20 shots in Tuesday’s win over Montreal.
He has not faced the Blackhawks in his NHL career.
The matchup history leans Carolina’s way. The teams split their two meetings last season, with each club winning on the road, but the Hurricanes have taken 19 of the last 23 meetings since the start of 2018. Last season’s results included a 4-3 Blackhawks shootout win on Jan. 22 at Lenovo Center and a 7-2 Hurricanes win on April 9 at the United Center.
Through five games, Chicago’s leaders are Anton Frondell, who tops the team in assists with three and points with four, and Frank Nazar, who still leads the club in goals with two despite the suspension. Carolina’s leaders are Sebastian Aho and Logan Stankoven with four goals apiece, Jackson Blake with five assists, and Aho with eight points.
The Blackhawks need points, but the Hurricanes are bringing pressure everywhere else.
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Byram heads into the matchup with Carolina carrying the kind of start that makes every shift feel a little heavier, and the assignment does not get any easier from here. The Hurricanes have been a tough draw for Chicago recently, which only raises the stakes for a player the Blackhawks clearly view as a long-term piece and for a team trying to justify the cost of bringing him in. [Read more 🡒]