NEWSLETTER
For the first time since the final game in a pre-COVID NHL world, the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks meet tonight at the United Center. Chicago is coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues on Friday, while the Sharks lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their last outing. San Jose is 3-5-0 in their last eight games, while the Blackhawks are 6-2-0 in their last eight games, all since Derek King took over as interim head coach of the club. Coming into tonight’s contest, the over/under is set at 5.5 total goals and with both clubs ranking in the bottom-third of the league in goal-scoring (San Jose is 24th with 2.65 goals per game, Chicago is 30th with 2.20) it’s a good bet to go with the under tonight, if you’re a betting person.
Broadcast Info
Puck Drop: 6:00 p.m. CT
TV: NBCSCH, NHL Network
Radio: WGN 720 AM, TUDN 1200 AM (Spanish)
Expected Lineups
Blackhawks (7-11-2)
Hagel – Toews – Kane
DeBrincat – Dach – Kurashev
Kubalík – Borgström- Khaira
Hardman – R. Johnson – Carpenter
de Haan – S. Jones
McCabe – Murphy
Kalynuk – Gustafsson
Fleury
Sharks (10-9-1)
Meier – Couture – Balcers
Barabanov – Hertl – Gregor
Nieto – Weatherby – Labanc
Cogliano – Bonino – Gadjovich
Ferraro – Burns
Karlsson – Middleton
Vlasic – Simek
Reimer
Injury Report
Blackhawks:
MacKenzie Entwistle (Week-to-Week – Ankle)
Tyler Johnson (Day-to-Day – Neck)
Riley Stillman (Day-to-Day – Lower Body)
Sharks:
Jonathan Dahlen (Day-to-Day – Upper Body)
Lane Pederson (Day-to-Day – Lower Body)
Evander Kane (Suspended- Eligible to return November 30)
What To Watch For
• Alex DeBrincat scored the overtime-winner on Friday night for the Blackhawks with his team-leading 12th goal of the season. His 15 points this season ranks third on the team and has scored eight goals in 11 games during the month of November. He has at least a point in eight-straight games against the Sharks.
• Marc-André Fleury gets the start tonight for Chicago on his 37th Birthday. He is 5-8-0 on the season, with a 4-1-0 record over his last five starts. In those starts, Fleury has a .955 save-percentage and recorded his first shutout in his Blackhawks career on November 21 against the Vancouver Canucks.
• Tonight is Hockey Fights Cancer night for the Blackhawks. This year hits close to home for the Blackhawks family as former Blackhawk and current WGN Broadcaster Troy Murray is in the middle of a cancer battle himself. He’s missed calling games all season but has been around the team periodically. Murray will be in the building tonight, dropping the ceremonial first puck of the game alongside 15-year-old Devin Pittges. We’re all pulling for Troy and want him to continue to kick cancer’s ass!
For the better part of 40 years, Troy Murray has been synonymous with the #Blackhawks.
As the team gets set to honor him, and all those in the battle, on #HockeyFightsCancer night, take a look at how Chicago became home for @muzz19. https://t.co/M3zzfNibGZ
— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) November 28, 2021
Get Caught Up
Derek King wearing a TM19 shirt. It’s Hockey Fights Cancer Night and Troy Murray is dropping the ceremonial first puck. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/meuTPbXoUh
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 28, 2021
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal tonight vs. San Jose. #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 28, 2021
Happy 37th Birthday to #Blackhawks goaltender Marc-André Fleury!
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 pic.twitter.com/2vmxMc57P8— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) November 28, 2021
“We have to keep that hunger and that desperation.”—Ryan Carpenter on the Blackhawks’ “reset” pic.twitter.com/O7fsVsxYX8
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) November 28, 2021
Derek King on Dylan Strome being a healthy scratch yesterday: "I thought Dylan was making some strides. We need to find some chemistry with a couple players and mix in and out. … We just felt his game wasn't where it was prior to (Calgary). We'll get him back in here soon."
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 27, 2021
