Blackhawks vs Kraken Preview, Projected Lines

The Chicago Blackhawks (27-35-14) will visit Seattle for the final time this season to face the Kraken (32-31-11) as they continue their final road trip of the 2025-2026 campaign. The Blackhawks are in the midst of a 5-game losing streak (outscored 23-9) after falling 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. The Kraken currently sit 4 points out of the second wildcard spot in the West, they aren’t out of it yet so expect the Kraken to play hard, playoff style hockey tonight. The Kraken are however on a losing streak of their own having dropped their last 3 in a row.

Photo by: Chicago Blackhawks

This season has been filled with ups and downs for Chicago. They are definitely at a low point right now; however, there are still positives to take away. The pairing of Ethan Del Mastro and Kevin Korchinski has played well, having played a very well rounded game against the Oilers in an otherwise dreadful night. If Kevin Korchinski hopes to finally crack the NHL club roster for good and be a part of opening night next season, then he needs to continue to play the way he has been playing. Korchinski has played a solid 200-foot game. His stat line may not jump off the screen and that’s okay. Kevin has been better on the defensive side of the puck lately, which has always been his issue. He is making smarter decisions when it comes to moving the puck, most notably on breakouts.

Star forward Connor Bedard has struggled to produce offence lately, only notching 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) in his last 9 games and he knows he needs to be better. 20 year old rookie winger Nick Lardis spent time on the 4th line when he was called up where he struggled to produce offence with limited minutes and defensively focused linemates. Lardis has spent the last 7 game sin the top 6 where he has 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points. Nick Lardis is a lethal shooter who has shown he thrives when he plays with talented players like Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi. Late in the 3rd period in Thursday’s game against Edmonton, Lardis was hit in the hand by a 97 mph Teuvo Teravainen shot and he immediately went down the tunnel. Head Coach Jeff Blashill didn’t reveal much about the injury, but didn’t seem terribly concerned. Nick Lardis participated in morning skate, so expect him to play tonight.

Projected Lines

Greene - Bedard - Lardis

Bertuzzi - Frondell - Mikheyev

Donato - Nazar - Burakovsky

Teravainen - Lafferty - Slaggert

Vlasic - Crevier

Kaiser - Rinzel

Korchinski - Del Mastro

Soderblom