The Chicago Blackhawks are going to take on the San Jose Sharks in their final home game before the Olympic break.
The Chicago Blackhawks have played against every team in the NHL this season at least once, except for the San Jose Sharks. That will change on Monday night with a match set to take place at the United Center.
The San Jose Sharks are 27-22-4, which is a record (58 points) keeping them on the playoff bubble. At 21-25-9, the Blackhawks are 7 points behind them. Although each team has been in the bottom five over the last several years, there has been steady improvement shown by both.
Bedard vs Celebrini
This is a matchup between two of the NHL’s brightest young stars. Connor Bedard was the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, while Macklin Celebrini went first one year later at the 2024 NHL Draft. These two are compared for a variety of reasons. With that said, this matchup is much more than two young stars going head-to-head.
Scouting San Jose
The San Jose Sharks do rely on Celebrini a lot in terms of their offensive production. He currently has 79 points, which is good for fourth in the entire NHL. The next closest Sharks player is Will Smith with 38. This will get him in Hart Trophy conversations if they do end up making the playoffs.
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Askarov
The Chicago Blackhawks are going to see Yaroslav Askarov in San Jose's net, who is another good young goalie trying to make his way as an elite player in the league.
Outside of Celebrini and Smith, other young skaters like William Eklund, Michael Misa, and Sam Dickinson are there forming what promises to be a great core for a long time. Veterans like Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, and Dmitri Orlov are there for support as well. It's a good group that's only going to get better as the years go on.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Chicago Blackhawks will still be without Nick Foligno for this game. He is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, although he skated with the team at practice on Sunday.
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Knight
Spencer Knight will start in goal for Chicago, as each team will go with their young up-and-coming star goalies. Sam Lafferty is the healthy scratch up front, and Artyom Levshunov will continue his development program, keeping him out of the lineup.
Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar have started to gain some chemistry together at even strength. In this game, they will be with Tyler Bertuzzi. With Landon Slaggert and Colton Dach on Oliver Moore's wing, they will form an energy line.
Jeff Blashill is continuing to evaluate what he has in Moore, who has shown versatility in terms of where he is in the lineup and what position he plays.
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 CHSN locally. Nationally, it can be streamed on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 7:30 PM CT.
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