The Chicago Blackhawks play the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. This is going to be a great test for a young team trying to take a big step.
The Chicago Blackhawks are going to take on the Edmonton Oilers in a battle between two teams at different organizational spots. The Oilers are in the middle of a "window open to win the Stanley Cup" era, while the Blackhawks are trying to open up their window through the draft and development.
Winning the Western Conference in back-to-back seasons is nothing to ignore when it comes to praising the Oilers, but they have lost in the Finals in both years. You know that eats alive at the stars of the team.
By their standards, the Oilers have not had the best start. At 5-4-3, they have a long way to go before they are happy with the way the season is going. For Chicago, at 5-4-2, they are thrilled to have that kind of record. As a team that has had three straight bottom-three finishes, this has been a solid start to the year.
This will be game two of a six-game road trip for Chicago. The first did not go well for them, as the Winnipeg Jets took them down 6-3. The Oilers are not an easy team, but it is a new chance for the Blackhawks to play up to their opponent.
Scouting Edmonton
Every conversation about the Edmonton Oilers starts and ends with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They are two of the five best players in the world, and have been for some time now. They form a two-headed monster down the middle that is as hard to contain as any in NHL history.
Beyond them, they have a team good enough to win the Stanley Cup, which is why they have been to two straight finals. The Florida Panthers are the only team that’s topped them in the last few years.
Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Mangiapane
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Roslovic
Savoie - Henrique - Frederic
Howard - Philp - Lazar
Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Walman
Kulak - Emberson
Skinner
Stuart Skinner is projected to be the starting goalie for the Oilers against the Blackhawks. In his career against them, he is 4-0-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. He will see a different team from Chicago than he's used to, but he will come in with some confidence due to past success.
Edmonton's top six is as good as any team in the league. With McDavid and Draisaitl down the middle, they have plenty of wingers to make the lines as good as they can be.
Projected Blackhawks Lines, Defense Pairs, and Starting Goalie
On Friday, Jason Dickinson did not practice with the Blackhawks in Edmonton. He left Thursday's game after aggravating his previous injury. Ilya Mikheyev, who did not play on Thursday, did practice on Friday.
The same thing followed during the morning skate on Saturday. Dickinson was absent, but Mikheyev was out there.
Greene - Bedard - Burakovsky
Teravainen - Nazar - Bertuzzi
Donato - Dach - Mikheyev
Slaggert - Foligno
Vlasic - Rinzel
Kaiser - Levshunov
Grzelcyk - Murphy
Crevier
Knight
Assuming that Ilya Mikheyev does go but Jason Dickinson doesn't, the former is projected to be on the third line with Ryan Donato and Colton Dach.
If they decide to go 11/7 again, which they have done in all but two games this season, Sam Lafferty is the likely healthy scratch in favor of the extra defenseman. Landon Slaggert may sit, but Lafferty has been the guy watching from the press box for most of this year.
Ryan Greene has stuck on the top line with Connor Bedard and Andre Burakovsky for a few games in a row now. The long-term plan is for him to be a bottom-six center on a good team, but he's been a nice compliment to the two skill guys on the first line.
Frank Nazar has built some great chemistry with Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi. There is a little bit of everything on that line, and everyone is bought in.
Head coach Jeff Blashill has a very "wait and see" attitude when it comes to his lineups each day, but there is no doubt he's thinking about the forwards being worked extra when they go 11/7. Is it sustainable to keep doing it this way? The defensemen are benefiting, but at what cost? Only time will tell. For now, it's been great.
Spencer Knight was in the starter's crease during the morning skate, so expect him to be in the net against the Oilers. He is looking to bounce back after a game in which he didn't look like his usual dominant self.
How To Watch
Those looking to watch the game in the Chicagoland area can watch it on CHSN or listen to it on AM WGN Radio 720. Out-of-market fans can check it out on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 9 PM CT.
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