Blackhawks vs Sharks Preview, Projected lines
Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks (28-39-14) play against the San Jose Sharks (38-34-8). This is Chicago’s last game of the season. The last meeting between these 2 teams was just 9 days ago, which was a 3-2 Sharks win. That game was pretty close overall, and appeared to set the Blackhawks up well for their homestand.
Unfortunately, things have not gone well since. On Thursday, they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 7-2, despite Carolina benching several of their best players. Saturday was slightly better, a 5-3 loss to the St Louis Blues. However, the effort was still not great. But Monday’s showing against the Buffalo Sabres was just pitiful; a 5-1 thumping that could have been worse if not for Spencer Knight. The Blackhawks need a great effort on Wednesday against a beatable opponent; ending the season on a 5-game losing streak would probably raise even more concern. The Blackhawks only have 1 win in their last 10 games.
It’s clear that the team has hit a wall. The Blackhawks have the youngest team in the NHL, and are very inexperienced. Connor Bedard, who has not scored a goal in 9 games, looks done with the season. The defense looks completely out of sync. Even Spencer Knight has not been as sharp. The point is, this team has not been playing anywhere close to their best. It’s imperative that Chicago puts forward a much stronger effort for their last game.
Photo by: Chicago Blackhawks
Projected Lines:
Nazar-Bedard-Lardis
Mikheyev-Frondell-Bertuzzi
Donato-Greene-Burakovsky
Teravainen-Lafferty-Slaggert
Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Rinzel
Korchinski-Del Mastro
For the very last game of the season, Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar back together. This should hopefully benefit both of them, as well as Nick Lardis. Head Coach Jeff Blashill has come under heavy scrutiny for his line combinations. Overall, the first 2 lines look strong. I do wonder why Andre Burakovsky is still drawing into the lineup. Ben Pope from the Chicago Sun-Times has mentioned him as a possible buyout candidate, so it’s possible this is his last game in a Chicago sweater. Oliver Moore is not playing; there was some thought he would be able to return from his injury. He’s definitely earned a spot on the roster next season.
The Blackhawks will have a very interesting offseason ahead of them. The draft lottery on May 5th will determine what position Chicago will pick. This will be an important day and will likely set the tone for the offseason. For example, getting the 1st pick will be huge for next season and the future.
