For the final time this season, the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes will square-off in a game that can only impact the standings of the Hurricanes as the top team in the Central Division and the NHL. Chicago has nothing to win or lose tonight, and after shutting down Kirby Dach earlier today, the goal is just to get through tonight and the final two games of the season after that healthy and with all appendages in order.
Carolina will have something to play for tonight as they enter the game with a 12-game points streak at 9-0-3 and are looking to match the franchise record of 13 games if they are to come away with at least a point against Chicago tonight. The Hurricanes hold a 5-2-0 record against the Blackhawks in seven meetings this season, while Chicago’s record is 2-4-1 in those seven games.
Broadcast Info
Puck Drop: 6:00 p.m. CT
TV: NBCSCH+, BSSO
Radio: WGN 720 AM / TUDN 1200 AM
Expected Lineups
Blackhawks (22-25-6, 50 pts)
DeBrincat – Suter – Kane
Hinostroza – Kurashev – Gaudette
Kubalík – Kämpf – Hagel
Hardman – Entwistle – Connolly
Keith – Regula
Zadorov – Kalynuk
Murphy – Stillman
Delia
Subban
Hurricanes (36-10-7, 79 pts)
Svechnikov – Aho – Teravainen
Niederreiter – Trocheck – Necas
Fast – Staal – Foegele
McCormick – Lorentz – Geekie
Slavin – Hamilton
Skjei – Pesce
Hakanpaa – Bean
Mrazek
Nedeljkovic
Injury Report
Blackhawks:
Calvin de Haan (Day-to-day – Hip)
Ryan Carpenter (Day-to-day – Concussion)
Kirby Dach (Out for season – Wrist)
Brent Seabrook (LTIR – Retirement)
Zack Smith (LTIR – Back)
Andrew Shaw (LTIR – Retirement)
Alex Nylander (LTIR – Knee)
Jonathan Toews (LTIR – Illness)
Hurricanes:
Cedric Paquette (Day-to-day – Undisclosed)
Jake Gardiner (Day-to-day – Back)
Jordan Martinook (Day-to-day – Lower Body)
Brock McGinn (Day-to-day – Upper Body)
What To Watch For
• Collin Delia makes his second-consecutive start for the Blackhawks tonight after making 22-of-26 saves in the 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Delia is still looking for his first NHL win of the season, going 0-3-0 with a .881 save percentage and a 4.04 GAA in four appearances with Chicago.
• Alec Regula will be making his NHL debut with the Blackhawks tonight, making him the ninth rookie to skate with the Blackhawks this season. He has skated in 16 AHL games this season with the Rockford IceHogs, tallying four points. It continues the rookie-push that Chicago has seen this season, which saw a historic marker in Tuesday’s game as Mike Hardman became the seventh Blackhawk rookie to notch his first career goal this season. It is the first time since the 2016-17 season that Chicago has had that many rookies score a goal. The Blackhawks lead the NHL with 39 goals by rookies and are second with 86 points from rookies this season.
• Alex DeBrincat stretched his point streak to five games and his goal streak to four games with a pair of goals on Tuesday night. He tallied his first career shorthanded goal in the process and his notched fifth multi-goal game of the year. DeBrincat has five goals and seven points over his five-game streak. The four-game goal streak matches a season high and his 28 goals this season are tied for fourth in the NHL.
Get Caught Up …
Delia starting again for the Blackhawks tonight.
Alec Regula making his NHL debut, as well, coming in for Mitchell. Connolly in for Strome.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) May 6, 2021
Alec Regula will be the ninth player to make his #NHL debut for the #Blackhawks during the 2021 season:
Game 1: Mitchell, Suter
Game 2: Kurashev
Game 4: Lankinen
Game 10: Johnson
Game 26: Kalynuk
Game 33: Entwistle
Game 49: Hardman
Game 54: Regula— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) May 6, 2021
Jeremy Colliton on Alec Regula: "Big body (6-4, 207). Calm player. He's got a lot of poise with the puck. His conditioning has improved this year and he's probably got more to go. Looking forward to seeing him play at an NHL pace, NHL level." #Blackhawks
— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) May 6, 2021
The @Canes (9-0-3) carry a 12-game point streak into tonight’s contest as they look to match the franchise record for longest such run in history (13 GP in 2016-17). #NHLStats
📺: CHI vs. CAR at 7:00 p.m. ET on BSSO, NBCSCH+ pic.twitter.com/Nyll4WWol3
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 6, 2021