The Chicago Blackhawks are on the road for one game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes are set for a game in Raleigh on Thursday night. The Blackhawks, who have been at home for most of January, will get Frank Nazar back in the lineup for this one on the road.
Chicago comes in with a record of 20-22-7, while Carolina boasts a mark of 31-15-4. It's a tale of two seasons, but both will come in playing with a big effort.
Scouting Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. Their 66 points are the third most in the league coming into Thursday's matchup. There are a lot of teams bunched up from 2-6, so the standings are fluid.
Carolina is the type of team that must keep winning to stay ahead of the game as they make a push for the playoffs. We've seen almost every team in the East go hot and cold, but Carolina has mostly been good all year long. Winners of three in a row, they are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.
Svechnikov-Aho-Jarvis
Hall-Stankoven-Blake
Ehlers-Staal-Martinook
Carrier-Jankowski-Kotkaniemi
Slavin-Chatfield
Miller-Walker
Nikishin-Nystrom
Reilly
Andersen
Bussi
Eric Robinson and Shayne Gostisbehere were missing from Carolina's practice on Wednesday, so it will be interesting to see if they make it into the lineup on Thursday. Without them, this is what the lines looked like during practice.
Carolina is led by Sebastian Aho, who has been their best forward for a long time. Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, Logan Stakoven, Jackson Blake, and Taylor Hall are all there in the top six, making an impact.
Carolina signed Nikolaj Ehlers last off-season from the Winnipeg Jets, and he was the top forward available during that free agency class. He took some time to get going with them this year, but he is one of their solid depth scorers outside of the top six right now. They run four lines that can beat you on any given shift.
Jaccob Slavin is the best defensive defenseman in the NHL. It is very hard to get anything going offensively when he is on the ice, so Chicago must be smart about their passing, shooting, and the plays that they attempt to make when he's out there.
Beyond him, it's a smart group that plays a high-end man-on-man game under head coach Rod Brind'Amour. It takes incredible athleticism and endurance to play in a system like that, which speaks to the shape that every player on the team is in.
Whether it's Frederick Andersen or Brandon Bussi in the net, it is hard to score on them because their forwards and defensemen are committed to team defense.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Chicago Blackhawks, as mentioned before, will be getting Frank Nazar back in the lineup. This is his first game back since taking a puck to the face on December 20th, 2025.
Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Donato-Nazar-Bertuzzi
Foligno-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Slaggert-Moore-Lardis
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Knight
Soderblom
When Nazar was last in the lineup, Oliver Moore was playing wing. Since Nazar went down, and they were without both him and Connor Bedard for a while, Moore shifted to center. Since then, he's proven that he's even more effective using his speed in the middle of the ice.
With Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Jason Dickinson, and Oliver Moore as a group of top-four centers, it's a more than formidable group. Other teams may have a hard time dealing with that speed at times if they are all on top of their game.
Moore may be on the "fourth line", but with Nick Lardis and Landon Slaggert on his line, it's hardly a line that lacks offensive talent. If anything, Jason Dickinson with Nick Foligno and Ilya Mikheyev is the tough checking line.
Spencer Knight is going to start in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks. He is coming off a shutout victory over Winnipeg on Monday night.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on ESPN+ and HULU. The puck will drop shortly after 6:00 PM CT.
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