The Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers lock-up for the second game of their two-game mini-series tonight in Florida. Chicago is still looking for their first win over the Panthers this season (0-2-1), and have the track record to support that tonight could be the night they get in the win column. In the second game of back-to-back games against the same opponent this season, Chicago is 10-1-2 and have won nine-straight.
Chicago is sitting in fourth-place in the Central Division with 33 points and a .569 points percentage, while the Panthers are tied for second in points (40) and in third-place on points percentage (.741). Florida has won five of their last six games and are in a three-way tie for the third-most points in the league with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Broadcast Info
Puck Drop: 6:00 p.m. CT
TV: NBCSCH, FS-South
Radio: WGN 720 AM / TUDN 1200 AM
Expected Lineups
Blackhawks (14-10-5, 33 pts)
DeBrincat – Suter – Kane
Kubalík – Kämpf – Hagel
Janmark – Söderberg – Kurashev
Highmore – Wallmark – Carpenter
Keith – Boqvist
Zadorov – Murphy
Mitchell – de Haan
Lankinen
Subban
Panthers (18-5-4, 40 pts)
Verhaeghe – Barkov – Marchment
Huberdeau – Wennberg – Hornqvist
Vatrano – Luostarinen – Tippett
Duclair – Lammikko – Acciari
Weegar – Ekblad
Yandle – Stralman
Forsling – Gudas
Bobrovsky
Driedger
Injury Report
Blackhawks:
Brent Seabrook (LTIR – Retirement)
Zack Smith (LTIR – Back)
Andrew Shaw (LTIR – Concussion)
Kirby Dach (LTIR – Wrist)
Alex Nylander (LTIR – Knee)
Jonathan Toews (LTIR – Illness)
Dylan Strome (IR – Concussion)
Panthers:
Noah Juulsen (IR – Upper Body)
Betting Odds
The Blackhawks are +1.5 point underdogs against the Panthers tonight, and find themselves at +155 on the moneyline according to the DraftKings Illinois Sportsbook. You can go right here to sign up and make a bet.
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What To Watch For
• Dating back to February 9th, the Blackhawks have been out-shot in 11 of their last 16 games, including Saturday’s contest, 35-32 in favor of the Panthers. The Panthers are second in the NHL in shots on goal per game (34.0), while the Blackhawks are allowing the most shots on goal per game (34.4) this season. Kevin Lankinen, who will start tonight for the Blackhawks, has faced the second-most shots per 60 minutes (33.8), behind only Antti Raanta (38.0) among goalies who have played at least eight games this season.
• Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start again for the Panthers tonight, opposite Kevin Lankinen. In his past seven games, Bobrovsky is 6-0-1 with a .920 save percentage. He is now 11-2-2on the season with a .905 save percentage and a 2.95 GAA. Bobrovsky has won his last five starts for the Panthers, setting the mark for his longest win streak since joining the team in 2019.
• The Blackhawks were tormented by the Panthers’ top line of Carter Verhaeghe-Aleksander Barkov-Anthony Duclair on Saturday. Verhaeghe has three goals in his last six games and four points in his last three. Barkov has four goals with 12 points in his past nine games and has moved one point behind Jonathan Huberdeau (32) for the team-lead in points. Finally, the former-Blackhawk Duclair had three primary assists in his return to action on Saturday night. Duclair had been out since February 27th, and now has 12 points in 20 games this season with Florida.
Get Caught Up …
Kevin Lankinen starts again tonight for the Blackhawks.
Same lineup as Saturday.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 15, 2021
Top three points percentage records for entire league all from the Central Division right now:
1 – Tampa, .769
2 – Carolina, .759
3 – Florida, .741— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 15, 2021
Colliton on defending Florida: "We need more of those situations where we’re able to hold it deep, protect it, play in the offensive zone. Then they’re not able to generate as much speed and momentum going the other way."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 15, 2021
Colliton on Suter & Kurashev rotating as 1C: "It’s a lot of ice time and responsibility… Trying to spread it a little bit so those guys don’t run out of gas… Not many rookies playing in the 1C spot across the league, so we’re trying to help them carry that load."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 15, 2021