NEWSLETTER
The rivalry is renewed! Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, one of the oldest rivalries in NHL history gets rekindled tonight in Chicago. Although both teams are far from the top of the league, the NHL is better when these teams are competitive, even if it’s just against each other. The Red Wings provide a litmus test for the winless-Blackhawks to see just how close or how far from the bottom of the league they really are.
Broadcast Info
Puck Drop: 7 p.m. CT
TV: NBCSCH, FS-D
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Expected Lineups
Blackhawks (0-3-1, 1 pts)
DeBrincat – Suter – Kane
Kubalík – Strome – Kurashev
Janmark – Wallmark – Shaw
Hagel – Kämpf – Carpenter
Keith-Murphy
De Haan-Mitchell
Zadorov-Boqvist
Lankinen
Subban
Red Wings (2-2-0, 4 pts)
Namestnikov – Larkin – ???
Ryan – Rasmussen – Mantha
Bertuzzi – Glendening – Brome
Nielsen – Filppula – Helm
(Taxi Squad: G. Smith, T. Hirose)
Hronek – Nemeth
Dekeyser – Djoos
Staal – Stetcher
Greiss
Bernier
Injury Report
Blackhawks:
Brent Seabrook (IR – Lower Back)
Zack Smith (IR – Back)
Kirby Dach (LTIR – Out 4-5 months – Wrist)
Alex Nylander (LTIR – Out 4-6 months – Knee)
Jonathan Toews (LTIR – Illness)
Red Wings:
Henrik Zetterberg (IR – Retired)
Filip Zadina (Day-to-day)
Adam Erne (Day-to-day)
Robby Fabbri (Day-to-day)
Jon Merrill (Day-to-day)
Sam Gagner (Day-to-day)
What To Watch For
• It’s been 317 days since the Blackhawks last played in the United Center. While there still won’t be fans in the arena, it will be amazing seeing the Blackhawks back playing a home game. Hopefully the feeling of the pregame anthem and the roar of the fake crowd will be able to suffice as home-ice advantage for Chicago.
• This is the first of eight meetings between the Red Wings and Blackhawks. The last time the long-time rivals were in the same division was the 2013 season, which ended with the Blackhawks eliminating the Red Wings in Game Seven of the Western Conference Semi-Final on their way to the Stanley Cup. Since then, Chicago holds an 8-4-2 record over Detroit in 14 regular season matchups. Chicago has not faced an opponent more than Detroit since the two began competition in 1926.
• Kevin Lankinen makes his second-straight start for the Blackhawks. After helping Chicago earn their first point in the standings this season with a 5-4 overtime loss to the Panthers on Tuesday, Jeremy Colliton has pegged the 25-year-old as the starter for the home opener. Lankinen made 25 saves on 30 shots in his first-ever NHL start.
Get Caught Up …
Colliton: "It will be strange playing in this building with no fans. The anthem is a big part of the experience… Even if the fans aren’t here, we’re still playing with the fans. We want to be a team with characteristics that the city and fans of the Blackhawks are proud of."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 22, 2021
Jeremy Colliton on Kevin Lankinen: "He played well [Tuesday]. We're giving a guy an opportunity to have two [starts] in a row. It'll be interesting to see how he responds to that. Again, it is an open competition and they're all going to have their chance here." #Blackhawks
— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) January 22, 2021
Connor Murphy said the Blackhawks don't need to make any defensive adjustments because "the times we’ve had lapses, it’s because we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing and there are breakdowns. I wouldn’t say we need to change anything."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 22, 2021
Patrick Kane said the goal within the room is still to make the playoffs, not just to develop guys. And he thinks that's a realistic goal.
"It’s early in the season, we wanted to get off to a good start and that didn’t really happen. But we can still turn it around here."
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) January 21, 2021
