NEWSLETTER
And we back. And we back. And we back. And we back!
Credit to Chance the Rapper for the inspiration for NIGHT ONE of the NHL regular season for the Chicago Blackhawks! Hello and welcome to what should be one of the more fascinating seasons for the Blackhawks in a few years. Obviously the last two seasons have had their share of interesting factors to them, mainly COVID, but with a revamped roster, the headlines this season should be dominated on the ice by a Blackhawks squad that has legitimate Stanley Cup Playoff aspirations.
Some of the biggest stories for the Blackhawks center around their new core of players with Seth Jones and Marc-André Fleury headlining the group. Of course, not to be overlooked, the return of Chicago’s Captain Jonathan Toews seems like the biggest storyline to follow, at least for tonight. Chicago has a stiff test right out of the gate this season, taking on a Stanley Cup favorite in the Colorado Avalanche.
After not seeing the Avalanche all of last season because of the re-aligned divisions, the Avalanche and Blackhawks are reunited in the Central Division once again. Colorado is the favorite to win the Division this season and the Blackhawks will be able to see how they measure up early against a team many have picked to be playing for the Stanley Cup this season. Tonight also serves as the first night of the NHL on TNT, with the Blackhawks and Avalanche playing the second game of a double-header on the network. Lots going on tonight!
Broadcast Info
Puck Drop: 9:00 p.m. CT
TV: TNT
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Expected Lineups
Blackhawks (0-0-0)
Kubalík – Toews – Kurashev
DeBrincat – Johnson – Kane
Borgström – Dach – Hagel
Khaira – Entwistle – Carpenter
McCabe – Murphy
de Haan – Jones
Stillman – Mitchell
Fleury
Lankinen
Avalanche (0-0-0)
Landeskog – Kadri – Rantanen
Nichushkin – Compher – Burakovsky
Newhook – Jost – Ranta
Helm – O’Connor – Megna
Girard – Makar
Byram – E. Johnson
J. Johnson – Murray
Kuemper
Johansson
Injury Report
Blackhawks:
Wyatt Kalynuk (Day-to-Day – ankle)
Alec Regula (Day-to-Day – back)
Caleb Jones (Week-to-Week – wrist)
Avalanche:
Pavel Francouz (Week-to-Week – ankle)
Devon Toews (Indefinite – shoulder)
Nathan MacKinnon (Day-to-Day – COVID Protocol)
What To Watch For
• I mean…what did you expect me to say?
TOEWS RETURNS TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/alh7hWfzCb
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 13, 2021
• Seth Jones, Jake McCabe, Tyler Johnson, and Marc-André Fleury come to the Blackhawks hoping for a number of things to happen this season. Fleury is hoping to lead Chicago back to prominence in what is likely a one-and-done year for the defending Vezina Trophy winner. Jones is hoping to revive his career with the Blackhawks after failing to capitalize on his career-best season in 2017-18. Johnson is hoping for his streak of Stanley Cup Playoff experience to continue with Chicago after winning back-to-back Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Finally, McCabe is just hoping to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs once in his career after spending that last eight seasons with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Tonight, they all get their first chances to make impacts with their new club.
• While the new guys will get a ton of focus, there’s also a lot riding on the shoulders of veterans of the Blackhawks locker room. Along with the return of Jonathan Toews, main-stays like Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Connor Murphy, and Dominik Kubalík need to mesh with the younger core of the team with Kirby Dach, Brandon Hagel, and Philipp Kurashev looking to continue to build upon their blossoming careers. If the “new-look” roster can mesh quickly, the Blackhawks are going to be a much different team than what we saw in 2020-21.
Get Caught Up …
Marc-Andre Fleury is working in the starter’s net this morning. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/wTZFwwPbiY
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 13, 2021
Kane and Toews having a chat pic.twitter.com/C1OQgbwyYr
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) October 13, 2021
Seth Jones talks about tonight’s Blackhawks opener against the Avalanche. pic.twitter.com/5frWVndSDJ
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) October 13, 2021
"We've been lucky to have amazing captains with Tazer, Kaner and Cat now and Shawzie before, and even Seabs and Duncs. It's easy to follow those guys' lead and see what they do with their preparation of being a pro and try to just follow in those guys' footsteps."
— John Dietz (@johndietzdh) October 13, 2021
Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton talks about the decision to scratch Dylan Strome and Adam Gaudette. pic.twitter.com/MvCtmC2I0a
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) October 13, 2021
Colliton also said the McCabe-Murphy pair will take the toughest matchups, hoping to free up de Haan-Seth Jones to "be a little more active."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 13, 2021
Seth Jones ahead of his first game with Chicago: "I wouldn't say nerves. There's expectation, of course. I put a lot of expectation on myself as well. Whatever the fans, the organization or the media is putting on me, I'm putting just as much or even more." #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 13, 2021
