Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks vs Canucks

  

Vancouver Canucks (30–32–10) vs Chicago Blackhawks (32–30–9)

7:30pm CST

United Center

TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

ChicagoCorey Crawford (12–15–2, SV%: .907, GAA: 3.07)

Vancouver Thatcher Demko (1–2–0, SV%: .895, GAA: 3.21)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play

Chicago (20.7%, 12th)

Vancouver (14.9%, 29th)

Penalty Kill

Chicago (73.5%, 31st)

Vancouver (81.0%, 14th)

Shorts for/against

Chicago (32.4, 13th; 35.1, 30th)

Vancouver (29.6, 25th; 31.5, 16th)

Shooting %

Chicago (10.4%, 7th)

Vancouver (9.0%, 21st)

Faceoff %

Chicago (49.4%, 20th)

Vancouver (49.2%, T21st)

Avg. height/weight

Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs

Vancouver 6’1” 195lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon SaadJonathan ToewsDylan Sikura

Dominik KahunArtem AnisimovPatrick Kane

Alex DeBrincatDylan StromeBrendan Perlini

Chris KunitzDavid KampfMarcus Kruger

Duncan KeithErik Gustafsson

Carl DahlstromConnor Murphy

Gustav ForslingBrent Seabrook

Vancouver Canucks

Loui ErikssonBo HorvatNikolay Goldobin

Josh LeivoElias PetterssonBrock Boeser

Tanner PearsonAdam GaudetteJake Virtanen

Tim SchallerMarkus GranlundTyler Motte

Alexander EdlerAlex Biega

Ashton SautnerChris Tanev

Guillaume BriseboisTroy Stecher

 

Analysis

Corey Crawford carried the Blackhawks to victory in Montreal on Saturday night. The Montreal-native continued his streak of dominance against the team he grew up rooting for. Now, Crawford may have to put on his red cape once again as the Blackhawks welcome another Canadian foe to the United Center when the Canucks pay a visit.

This game is certainly a trap game for the playoff hopeful Blackhawks. With the Coyotes, Wild and Stars all playing well, the Blackhawks cannot afford to lose a game down the stretch, especially to a team such as Vancouver. The Canucks have nothing to lose, as they are almost all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. It’s teams like these that will derail any potential playoff berth for the Blackhawks.

The line to watch right now is the Strome line. Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Brendan Perlini have given this team true balance throughout the lineup. Now that Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have been split up, the Blackhawks have three lines that can contribute meaningful scoring.

The Vancouver Canucks are setting themselves up for a high draft pick in this summer’s draft. Once playoff hopefuls, the Canucks fell apart as the season started winding down. The Canucks currently sit third-from-last in the Western Conference with 70 points. It’s safe to say they will not be playing in late April with their current record.

The true bright spot for the Canucks all year has been Elias Pettersson. The sensational rookie has been nothing short of spectacular for the Canucks, as he leads the Canucks in both goals and assists with 27 and 33, respectively. The Blackhawks need to watch out for the young sensation and cannot afford to take the foot off the gas on Monday night, otherwise the Blackhawks playoff hopes could quickly fade.

 

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com.

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