The Chicago Blackhawks will take on the Edmonton Oilers in Game 46 of the 2025-26 NHL season.
The Chicago Blackhawks are on a roll. Since the holiday break, they are 6-2-1. They have also won five out of their last six games, all in what has been a wonderful start to 2026. Even through the “stomach bug” that plagued the locker room for a few days, they are finding ways to win.
Next up, the Edmonton Oilers are at the United Center. At 22-16-7, a good but not great record, they are in second place of the Pacific Division. At this point, the hockey world is waiting for that mid-season surge from Edmonton. It may already be in progress. The Blackhawks are hoping to put a pause on that, however, and they have the confidence right now to get it done.
Scouting Edmonton
The Edmonton Oilers are where they are due to a variety of reasons. None are more important than their two-headed monster down the middle of the ice. Connor McDavid is the best and most productive player in the NHL, and Leon Draisaitl is one of the five best offensive players in the league. Having two top-five forwards in their prime is a luxury that Edmonton can’t take for granted.
Nugent Hopkins-McDavid-Hyman
Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Kapanen
Mangiapane-Roslovic-Savoie
Janmark-Lazar-Frederic
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Emberson
Stastney-Regula
Ingram
Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are great wingers for Connor McDavid. They each bring something that complements his speed and skill. As for Draisaitl, he’s having another incredible year living in the shadows of McDavid.
Edmonton’s bottom-six forward group is not perfect and is in flux. Isaac Howard is the expected scratch in this game, and Andrew Mangiapane will draw in. This group doesn't have to be otherworldly; they need to play hard on every shift in all three zones. Those stars will take care of the rest.
On defense, Evan Bouchard is the catalyst. He makes his mistakes defensively, but he can create offense at a high rate. Darnell Nurse and Matias Ekholm also play key roles. It’s not the most perfect defensive situation, but it is good enough with the firepower they have. In goal, Connor Ingram will make his second consecutive start for the Oilers.
McDavid will look to extend his point streak to 19 games. His current 18-game run includes 19 goals, 23 assists, and 42 points. It's one of those generational runs from a generational player. The Blackhawks won't be able to stop it; they can only hope to contain him.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Chicago Blackhawks are well-equipped with players who are strong on the defensive side of the puck. That's not enough to slow down McDavid and Draisaitl coming at you in waves, but the tools are there for them to get it done on home ice.
Their first and only matchup of the season so far came on November 1st when the Oilers won 3-2 in overtime. In that game, Chicago took the overtime loss and only one standings point, but they proved that they can skate with a team like Edmonton.
Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Bertuzzi-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Teravainen-Moore-Lardis
Donato-Foligno-Slaggert
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy
Knight
Spencer Knight will start for the Blackhawks on Monday night. He missed the entire weekend due to the illness going around, but he is good to go against this high-powered Oilers offense. He must be as sharp as he can be in this one.
Crevier also rejoins the group after being away due to illness. Kevin Korchinski has been sent back to AHL Rockford as a result. Colton Dach, who has played in almost every game this season, is also a scratch. Dach was also out sick over the weekend.
This will be Connor Bedard's third game back from injury. In the first two, he looked as good as he did before going down. Expect him to rise to the occasion, with more of the league's best players in the building.
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 locally on CHSN. The puck will drop shortly after 7:30 PM CT.
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