Quick Hitter Preview: Blackhawks vs. Wild
The Blackhawks return to action following the holiday break when they host the Minnesota Wild at the United Center tonight. The Hawks had their three-game win streak snapped by the Florida Panthers on Sunday night. Minnesota last played on Saturday night when they lost their fourth consecutive game, falling 2-1 in overtime to the Dallas Stars. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM central time.
Three Things
- World Junior Championship games began yesterday, with several Blackhawks prospects already making noise in the tournament. While it is an extraordinary opportunity for the young players, it also means the Blackhawks will continue to be without Henri Jokiharju on the blue line through the new year.
- Blackhawks goaltender Collin Delia picked up his first NHL win on Friday night at Colorado, allowing only one goal on 36 shots. He worked in the starter's net at morning skate so he will be back between the pipes for the Hawks tonight.
- Forward Marcus Kruger was on the ice prior to Blackhawks morning skate. He has been on injured reserve since sustaining a concussion on December 18th vs. Nashville.
Projected Lineups
Blackhawks
Saad - Toews - Kahun
Anisimov - Strome - Kane
DeBrincat - Kampf - Perlini
Hayden - Nilsson - Sikura
Keith - Gustafsson
Forsling - Seabrook
Dahlstrom - Murphy
Delia
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Ward
Wild
Zucker - Staal - Granlund
Parise - Koivu - Niederreiter
Greenway - Coyle - Kunin
Foligno - Eriksson Ek - Fehr
Suter - Spurgeon
Brodin - Pateryn
Seeler - Prosser
Dubnyk
Stalock
Laugh It Off
Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt scored the game-winning goal for Team USA against Slovakia in their opening contest of the World Junior Championships last night. This wicked backhander was just silly.
Featured Photo: NHL.com