Blackhawks vs Wild Preview, Projected Lines
Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks (25-30-11) are back home to face the Minnesota Wild (38-18-12). After a dismal shutout loss to Vegas (Arytom Levshunov technically scored but it was overturned), the Blackhawks are looking for a much better effort. Unfortunately, the Wild have beaten the Blackhawks twice this year in extra time. The loss on January 27th was especially painful because they blew a 3-goal lead.
However, this game will likely be remembered for a much better reason: the return of former Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno to the United Center. He was traded on March 7th, and now has the opportunity to chase the Cup and play with his brother Marcus. I expect a great tribute from the team and a great welcome from the fans. Being captain after Jonathan Toews is not easy, but Foligno’s mentorship of the young players was wonderful to see.
Photo by: Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks ran out of puck luck against Vegas, missing on a couple chances and hitting posts as well. Granted, they did not play well overall. But to have a chance against the Wild, finishing opportunities is key. Being better defensively is imperative as well; the return of Wyatt Kaiser to the lineup should help a little bit. Chicago will need a much better effort against the Wild if they want any chance to win.
The Minnesota Wild are currently on a 2-game losing streak. Kiril Kaprizov has 79 points in 68 games and is always dangerous. Gold medalist Quinn Hughes is one of the best defensemen in the league, and has 5 points in his last 5 games. His fellow Olympic teammate Matt Boldy is yet another dangerous forward; his 1.71 points per game is the highest on the team. Knowing the Blackhawks, you can expect Nick Foligno to get one against his former team.
Projected Lines:
Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky
Bertuzzi-Nazar-Teravainen
Mangiapane-Donato-Mikheyev
Lardis-Lafferty-Slaggert
Vlasic-Levshunov
Kaiser-Rinzel
Del Mastro-Crevier
Grzelcyk
Knight
Blackhawks Head Coach Jeff Blashill had this to say about Nick Lardis on Monday: “This is a hard league to only have six spots to make, so he’s got to show us the depth of his game, that he can add offense without having to be on the ice with the very best players on the team. It’s hard to learn how to play 10 minutes a night if you’re playing 20 minutes a night, so learning this is an important part of development.” Frankly, I don’t understand this at all. Lardis should not be playing 4th-line minutes with Sam Lafferty and Landon Slaggert. What kind of message does it send that Andre Burakovsky continues to play with Connor Bedard? Burakovsky has just 1 goal since January 18th.
The Blackhawks have a tough schedule ahead. They face the Wild again on Thursday and the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
