Blackhawks Face Panthers in a Battle of Banged-Up Teams and Shifting Lines
The Chicago Blackhawks are back on home ice tonight, staring down another heavyweight matchup-and this one comes with a little extra intrigue. After snagging three points in back-to-back games against two of the NHL’s top teams, the Hawks now face the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. And while Florida’s roster still looks formidable on paper, injuries have taken a serious toll.
The Panthers are currently five points out of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and they’ve been navigating a minefield of injuries all season. They recently welcomed back Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk-two major pieces-but are still without Aleksander Barkov, Seth Jones, and Dmitri Kulikov.
That’s a lot of firepower and leadership missing from the lineup. And yet, somehow, both Florida and Chicago sit the same distance out of a playoff spot right now.
That’s not something many would’ve predicted back in October.
Marchand’s Return Sparks Panthers
Brad Marchand wasted no time making his presence felt. In his return to action, he put on a clinic-netting two goals, including the overtime winner, and adding an assist in a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild. That kind of immediate impact is what Florida’s been missing, and it’s a reminder that even with a depleted lineup, the Panthers still have players who can take over a game.
Florida hasn’t exactly thrived in back-to-back situations, going 2-3-1 on the second night of those sets. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are 4-5-0 on Sundays, which doesn't scream consistency, but it does suggest they’re capable of showing up when it counts.
Blashill Mixes It Up Again
Jeff Blashill has mostly kept his lines stable this season, but tonight he’s shaking things up again. The most notable change?
Splitting up Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis-a duo that’s developed real chemistry. Moore moves up to the top line alongside Connor Bedard and Andre Burakovsky, giving him a shot to create something dynamic with Chicago’s top offensive weapons.
Lardis, meanwhile, will skate with Ryan Greene and Frank Nazar-three young players with a ton of speed and upside. That line could be fun if they click.
Blashill acknowledged the risk in breaking up Moore and Lardis, noting that if Moore and Bedard don’t connect quickly, he’s ready to flip things back. It’s a calculated gamble, but one that could pay off if Moore can elevate his game in a top-line role.
United Center Has Been Kind to the Hawks vs. Florida
The Blackhawks haven’t been dominant at home this season, but they’ve had Florida’s number at the United Center. Chicago has won three straight at home against the Panthers and holds a 17-8-2 all-time record in the Windy City against them. In their last eight meetings in Chicago, the Hawks are 5-2-1.
Nick Foligno, the team’s captain, has scored in back-to-back home games against Florida and has 10 goals and 24 points in 53 career games against them. Burakovsky, now skating with Bedard and Moore, is also heating up.
He’s got six goals and seven points in his last nine games, including two three-point outings. His career numbers against the Panthers-nine goals and 15 points in 22 games-suggest he could be a factor again tonight.
Goaltending Matchup: Familiar Faces, New Creases
Tonight’s netminding duel features a bit of a twist: Spencer Knight, now with Chicago, will face his former club for the second time. He gave the Hawks a real chance to win on opening night, stopping 34 of 37 shots.
Knight’s been especially sharp at home this year, racking up nine of his 15 wins at the United Center. He’s posted a 2.34 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage, and two shutouts in front of the home crowd.
His most recent home start? A 32-save shutout of the Winnipeg Jets.
That was his 11th home game this season with a save percentage north of .900-fifth-most in the NHL.
Across the ice, Daniil Tarasov gets the nod for the Panthers. This will be his 15th start of the season, and while he’s been mostly steady, he’s had a few rough outings.
He’s allowed more than three goals just three times this year, but his only previous start against the Blackhawks didn’t go well. Back in December 2022, while playing for Columbus, he was pulled early after giving up four goals on 20 shots.
Only one current Blackhawk has scored on Tarasov-Teuvo Teravainen, and that was during his days with the Hurricanes. Teravainen will miss his sixth straight game with an upper-body injury, though he did skate in a non-contact jersey this morning. He’s not quite ready for game action, but his return may not be far off.
Season Series and Team Leaders
The Panthers took the first meeting of the season, edging the Blackhawks 3-2 back on October 7 in Florida. Tonight’s game is the second and final meeting between the two clubs this season.
Here’s a quick look at the team leaders heading into tonight’s matchup:
Blackhawks Leaders:
- Goals: Tyler Bertuzzi (24)
- Assists: Connor Bedard (28)
- Points: Bedard (48)
- Power-Play Goals: Bertuzzi (9)
- Game-Winning Goals: Bedard/Bertuzzi (3)
- Shots on Goal: Bedard (125)
- Penalty Minutes: Colton Dach (45)
Panthers Leaders:
- Goals: Sam Reinhart (25)
- Assists: Reinhart (24)
- Points: Reinhart (49)
- Power-Play Goals: Reinhart (9)
- Game-Winning Goals: Reinhart (5)
- Shots on Goal: Sam Bennett (133)
- Penalty Minutes: AJ Greer (74)
Team Stats Snapshot:
The Blackhawks are still working through some growing pains, especially offensively. They rank 26th in goals per game (2.69) and 31st in shots per game (25.0), but their penalty kill has been elite-ranking first in the league at 85.4%. Florida, despite its injuries, remains a solid possession team, ranking top-10 in both shots for and shots against per game.
Projected Lineups:
Blackhawks Forwards:
- Moore - Bedard - Burakovsky
- Greene - Nazar - Lardis
- Bertuzzi - Dickinson - Mikheyev
- Donato - Foligno - Slaggert
Defense:
- Vlasic - Crevier
- Kaiser - Levshunov
- Grzelcyk - Murphy
Goalie: Spencer Knight
Scratches: Lafferty, Dach
Injured: Teravainen (upper body)
Panthers Forwards:
- Luostarinen - Lundell - Marchand
- Greer - Bennett - Tkachuk
- Verhaeghe - Rodrigues - Reinhart
- Vilmanis - Kunin - Samoskevich
Defense:
- Forsling - Ekblad
- Nikkola - Balinskis
- Bjornfot - Petry
Goalie: Daniil Tarasov
Scratches: Boqvust, Sebrango, Schwindt
Injured: Barkov, Gadjovich, Jones, Kulikov, Nosek
With both teams missing key players and testing new combinations, tonight’s game could come down to which squad adapts faster-and which goalie stands taller. For the Blackhawks, it’s another opportunity to prove they can hang with the league’s best.
For the Panthers, it’s a chance to claw back into the playoff picture. Either way, expect a battle.