Blackhawks Vs Blues: Projected Lineup, How To Watch, & More Ahead Of Game 4

The Chicago Blackhawks may be 0-3-0 following a lousy road trip to open the season, but the vibes are high ahead of their home opener. For one, it is Patrick Kane's first game at the United Center following his return to the team after a couple of seasons away. 

Kane didn't play at home in the preseason in anticipation of this night, making it even more of a true return to Chicago. Family members and former teammates like Jonathan Toews and Niklas Hjalmarsson are in town to witness it as well. 

For the team as a whole, Kane's return is only half of it. This is a chance for a reset early in the year. With the big crowd set to be rowdy, they will have energy on their side. If they can get in the win column over a top rival, that could be the start of a run that keeps them from falling way out of the race early. 

Scouting St. Louis

The St. Louis Blues are off to a 1-1-0 start to their season. They are going to be favorites in this game, but they are not the potential Stanley Cup-contending teams that the Blackhawks have faced in their first three games. 

St. Louis did not hold a morning skate in Chicago ahead of this battle, but it is expected that Joel Hofer will start in goal. In practice ahead of their trip, the group lined up like this: 

Holloway-Thomas-Snuggerud

Buchnevich-McTavish-McMichael

Neighbours-Dvorsky-Berggren

Johnston/Dean-Suter-Dube

Broberg-Parayko

Fowler-Jiricek

Lindstein-Carlo/Barron

Hofer

Binnington

Their head coach, Jim Montgomery, will speak to the media at 5:45 for more updates on who is in and who is out. Warm-ups will also confirm or deny the line combinations from practice. 

The Blackhawks have played the Blues twice already in the preseason, but the lineups were not the same for either side, and nothing is like a regular-season NHL game. The usual suspects when it comes to their high-end scoring are in their top-six, led by captain Robert Thomas. In the bottom-six, look for someone like Jake Neighbours to make an impact. 

On defense, their top pair of Philip Broberg and Colton Parayko is outstanding. However, things do thin out beyond them. It is on Chicago's other lines to take advantage of the matchups, as it is a home game. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks, as mentioned, are trying to get off an 0-3-0 slide. That first win of the season could propel them to play better over their next few games if they feed off the energy that they will get from playing at home. 

In Patrick Kane's return, he will play on the top line with Frank Nazar and Roman Kantserov. The rest of the lineup will be as follows:

Kantserov-Nazar-Kane

Bertuzzi-Frondell-Teravainen

Donato-Moore-Lardis

Smith-Greene-Greenway

Byram-Levshunov

Vlasic-Cole

Kaiser-Rinzel

Knight

These are the same forward lines from the Buffalo Sabres game. On defense, Bowen Byram is back in after being away for the birth of twins. He will be paired with Artyom Levshunov. Alex Vlasic is with Ian Cole, while Wyatt Kaiser is paired with Sam Rinzel, who was a healthy scratch in Buffalo. Ethan Del Mastro and Kevin Korchinski are each coming out in place of Byram and Rinzel. 

Of course, Kane is the top guy that folks will be watching in his return to Chicago wearing a Blackhawks home sweater, but the depth down the middle is the key. Frank Nazar has that big assignment with Kane, but Anton Frondell is looking to build on what was an incredible individual effort for him. 

Behind them, Oliver Moore and Ryan Green are expected to bring that hard-nosed game with speed and tenacity. They, along with their wingers, will play a huge role in cleaning up a lot of the deficiencies. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, it can be streamed on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 7:00 PM CT. 

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