What To Expect Vs Kraken As Blackhawks Return To Home Ice

The Chicago Blackhawks went 0-3-1 on their recent four-game road trip. They played well against the Colorado Avalanche in the first game despite the loss, but the good vibes pretty much ended there. 

Outside of the NHL debut (and first three games) for Artyom Levshunov going well, there wasn’t much to like about Chicago’s game on this trip. 

Before they left for that road trip, Chicago had played very well on home ice in the games leading up to their departure. Now that they are back, they want to continue where they left off. 

This is how Chicago projects to line up against the Seattle Kraken in their return to the United Center: 

Donato-Nazar-Bedard

Teravainen-Dickinson-Mikheyev

Slaggert-Foligno-Dach

Maroon-Reichel-Bertuzzi

Vlasic-Levshunov

Del Mastro-Murphy

Kaiser-Martinez

This will be the second game in a row where Connor Bedard will start on the wing with Frank Nazar at center. This time, Ryan Donato will get a chance to be the third guy playing with the Blackhawks' new dynamic duo. 

Bedard has less responsibility on the wing as he has to worry about a 180-foot game rather than a 200-foot game but it remains to be seen if he can be as dangerous offensively. 

In the last two games, Connor Bedard was handed a ten-minute misconduct. Each of them was a little bit different but there is no doubt that he's brought some feisteness to his game lately. With spark plugs like Ryan Donato and Frank Nazar on his line, they may be able to make some noise. 

On defense, in front of the home crowd for the first time in his NHL career, Artyom Levshunov will be on the first pair with Alex Vlasic to start the game. Vlasic, another outstanding young defenseman, might be the perfect partner for Levshunov right now. 

Arvid Soderblom was the starter for the Blackhawks in Saturday night's loss to the Vancouver Canucks so you can expect Spencer Knight to get the nod in this one. 

The Kraken are not as low in the standings as the Blackhawks but they still enter this game 10 points below the playoff line. After being sellers at the deadline, it's clear they are thinking about the future as well. 

The Blackhawks should expect a tough game but also one where they can generate chances with their speed and skill. With a goaltender like Knight behind them, they might find it easier to have the confidence needed to make big plays.

More than anything, these late-season games should be about working on good habits to go with their skill. The future of this team is bright but these moments of development could make all the difference. 

This game can be seen on CHSN and heard on WGN Radio 720. 

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