NEWSLETTER
Even though the Detroit Red Wings come into tonight’s contest as the first team outside of the Eastern Conference wildcard picture, they are just about as far outside of the postseason as the Chicago Blackhawks. Detroit is eight points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, while Chicago is nine points behind the Dallas Stars for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference, only with five teams between them and Dallas. Chicago is looking to end their current four-game losing streak, having gone 0-2-2 in that stretch following what was a four-game winning streak. The Red Wings beat the Blackhawks in their first matchup earlier this season and are 3-4-3 in their last ten games coming into tonight.
Broadcast Info
Puck Drop: 6:30 p.m. CT
TV: TNT
Radio: WGN 720 AM, TUDN 1200 AM (Spanish)
Expected Lineups
Blackhawks (15-20-7)
Hagel – Strome – Kane
DeBrincat – Toews – Lafferty
Kurashev – Dach – Kubalík
Borgström – Carpenter – Entwistle
McCabe – S. Jones
de Haan – Murphy
C. Jones – Gustafsson
Fleury
Red Wings (18-18-6)
Namestnikov – Larkin – Raymond
Fabbri – Suter – Bertuzzi
Zadina – Rasmussen – Enre
Smith – Veleno – Gagner
Dekeyser – Seider
Leddy – Oesterle
Staal – Hronek
Nedeljkovic
Injury Report
Blackhawks:
Tyler Johnson (Three Months – Neck Surgery)
Kevin Lankinen (Day-to-Day – Hand)
Riley Stillman (IR – Upper Body
Reese Johnson (IR – Broken Clavicle)
Jujhar Khaira (IR – Back Spasms)
Red Wings:
Carter Rowney (Day-to-Day – Undisclosed)
Riley Barber (Day-to-Day – Lower Body)
Thomas Greiss (Day-to-Day – COVID Protocol)
Gustav Lindstrom (Day-to-Day – Undisclosed)
What To Watch For
• Detroit comes into tonight scoring just 2.40 goals per game over their last ten games. Chicago is averaging just 2.25 goals per game since the start of 2022. So expect tonight to become some sort of 1980’s game where the teams split 15 goals or something like that.
• Marc-André Fleury will be in net tonight for the Blackhawks, making his tenth start over Chicago’s last 11 games. After making 27-of-29 saves against Colorado, Fleury has now allowed two goals or fewer in six of his last seven starts. Over his last ten appearances since December 17, he is 4-3-3 with a .914 save-percentage, a 2.60 GAA and one shutout performance.
• After a shutout loss on Monday night, Chicago has been held without a goal three times this season. Over those three shutout losses, the Blackhawks have only allowed five total goals. Over their last ten games, Chicago is allowing 2.80 goals per game, which ranks 11th in the league since January 4.
Get Caught Up
Derek King's end-of-skate talk today was longish:
"You can see them a little frustrated. But I tried to loosen them up… We've still got to play free and enjoy this and be relaxed and not grip the stick, but we also have to play with structure. Let's go out and have some fun."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 26, 2022
Pius Suter went from dejected to delighted – and determined to prove Steve Yzerman made a smart decision in adding Suter to Red Wings' rebuild https://t.co/exyFVURg0M via @freep
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) January 26, 2022
Is a Blackhawks-Capitals Trade Involving Marc-André Fleury Heating Up?https://t.co/s3t5fVY5Wk pic.twitter.com/lxdHqnNo3C
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 26, 2022
The Blackhawks’ Inability to Score Has Sunk Their Season https://t.co/7E8Kb1I0Wx pic.twitter.com/W4tqZ2ejd2
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 25, 2022
