Blackhawks Vs Canadiens: Projected Lineup, How To Watch, & More Ahead Of Game 10

The Chicago Blackhawks (3-6-0) are finally going to be back in game action following their six days away. During that time, they practiced hard and had some rest, as there is a lot of the season- nearly 90%- in front of them. 

The Montreal Canadiens (4-3-2) are in town for their one trip to the United Center. They have a better record than the Blackhawks, but they would tell you that they are off to a lackluster start. After making it to the Eastern Conference Final in the spring, they have high expectations. 

Scouting Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens will be without their captain, Nick Suzuki, for 2-4 weeks, starting with their match in Chicago. This ends his Ironman streak of 546 consecutive games. With Suzuki missing, this is how their lineup is projected to look:

Slafkovsky – Kapanen – Caufield

Anderson – Newhook – Kreider

Bolduc – Danault – Texier

Dach – Evans – Beck

Hutson – Dobson

Carrier - Guhle

Xhekaj – Engstrom

Fowler

Dobes 

This projected lineup is good, but there is a massive hole at center without Suzuki in the mix. They are also without winger Ivan Demidov, who has been missing for most of the season so far. Chicago fans who enjoy the draft know Demidov well, as he was an option for the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL Draft, but they opted for defenseman Artyom Levshunov. 

Even without those two, guys up front like Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield can carry the weight. They aren’t as dynamic a team without Suzuki and Demidov, but they are trying to push through with what they have. 

It’s a good group on defense, but Lane Hutson is a budding superstar in this league. He has the offensive tools that may allow him to win a Norris Trophy or two in the future. His partner, Noah Dobson, is also a very good two-way defender. Dobson makes it easy for Hutson to play his game without worry. 

If the Blackhawks are going to win, they must exploit Montreal’s weakness down the middle, make life hard on the top pair of Hutson-Dobson, and get traffic in front of whichever goalie gets the start. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks are as healthy at forward as they’ve been all season. They have the full group available to them for this game. That includes Andrew Mangiapane, who skated in a regular-contact sweater during practice on Thursday, but he is expected to be a healthy scratch. 

On defense, Bowen Byram has been missing for a few games with what the team is calling an upper-body injury. They have recently said that he is trending in the right direction. 

Kantserov-Bedard-Kane

Bertuzzi-Frondell-Teravainen

Moore-Nazar-Donato

Smith-Greene-Greenway

Vlasic-Cole

Kaiser-Levshunov

Del Mastro-Rinzel

Knight

You can expect Ethan Del Mastro to continue skating in Byram's spot on defense. He won’t be on the top pair like Byram, but he would be the guy to dress. Kevin Korchinski, who can’t seem to buy ice time in games that count, would be the healthy scratch. 

Up front, Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, and Ryan Greene are getting the reps at center. Although Roman Kantserov and Oliver Moore are more than capable of playing the position, Jeff Blashill enjoys having them on the wing. Only time will tell if that’s actually the best course of action. 

Speaking of Kantserov, his line with Connor Bedard and Patrick Kane has been good. Even against the Dallas Stars, who shut down the Hawks all game, the Bedard line had a great chance or two.

Overall, Montreal isn’t Dallas, but that’s especially true as they navigate through injuries. Weaknesses are there to be exposed, and the Blackhawks have shown they can do it to the non-elite teams. Against middle-of-the-pack squads, they have a chance. Montreal is likely better than that, but they haven’t started the season playing like an elite team, and the Blackhawks are trying to take advantage. 

Spencer Knight will start in goal for Chicago. This will be his 5th straight start and 8th start over the first 10 games. The break between games 9 and 10 play a role in that, but they rely heavily on their number one goalie. 

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, you can watch it on NHL Network. The puck will drop shortly after 7:00 PM CT. 

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