The Chicago Blackhawks open their first two-game series against the Nashville Predators in Nashville tonight.
The first game of back-to-back contests against their honky-tonk rivals, Chicago will be without key lineup pieces Alex DeBrincat and Adam Boqvist for the foreseeable future after both players were placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol list. Looking to build off their back-to-back wins over the Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks finally have momentum and confidence in their game and look to take advantage of a Predators team that has lost three-straight games in regulation.
Broadcast Info
Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. CT
TV: NBCSCH, FS-TN
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Expected Lineups
Blackhawks (2-3-1, 5 pts)
Janmark – Suter – Kane
Kubalík – Strome – Kurashev
Highmore – Söderberg– Shaw
Hagel – Kämpf – Carpenter
Keith – Carlsson
De Haan – Mitchell
Zadorov – Murphy
Subban
Lankinen
Predators (2-3-0, 4 pts)
Forsberg – Johansen – Arvidsson
Granlund – Duchene – Kunin
Cousins – Haula – Sissons
Trenin – Richardson – Olivier
Josi – Ellis
Ekholm – Fabbro
Borowiecki – Benning
Rinne
Saros
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)
Alex DeBrincat (Day-to-day – COVID Protocol)
Adam Boqvist (Day-to-day – COVID Protocol)
Predators:
Calle Järnkrok (IR – Undisclosed – Day-to-day)
Luca Sbisa (IR – Upper Body)
What To Watch For
• The Blackhawks powerplay is off to a hot start with eight goals in the first six games of the season. Chicago has scored in every game on the powerplay to start the year, it’s best start to a season since 1990-91. The Predators have one of the worst penalty-kills in the league. Look for the Blackhawks to try to exploit that matchup on the man-advantage.
• Malcolm Subban makes his first start since the opening night of the season. Subban lost the opening game to the Tampa Bay Lighting and has seen Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen get multiple starts ahead of him. With the emergence of Lankinen in the last three games, the opportunity is Subban’s to make a statement of his own that the goaltending starting spot is still not locked up just yet.
• Nashville enters tonight on a three-game losing streak. After taking their first two games of the year, they are behind the Blackhawks in the Central Division standings, somewhere I’m sure they never figured to be at any point this year. Expect the Predators to come out hot with a bit of desperation to avoid dropping a fourth-straight contest, in a season where every point and every game means more.
Get Caught Up …
Tonight, the #Blackhawks and Preds will meet in Game #99 of the NHL season on what is the 60th birthday of No. 99, Wayne Gretzky.
— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) January 26, 2021
Jeremy Colliton says DeBrincat and Boqvist will be out 2 weeks on the COVID list.
"We're doing the best we can, everyone is, but the world we're living in right now. We're not in a bubble. It would've been naive to think it wouldn't touch us at some point."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 26, 2021
Mitchell will get an opportunity on the power play with Boqvist out.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 26, 2021
#Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton on COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/cYVgSU9aZ5
— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) January 26, 2021
"He's a perfect partner. He's so easy to play with."
Nikita Zadorov with some complimentary words for his defensive partner Connor Murphy 🥺#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/6lAK4XOBsg
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 26, 2021