Arguably the best team in the NHL this year, Tampa Bay brings their fast, yet disciplined game to the UC tonight to face the struggling Blackhawks.
Tampa Bay Lightning (31-12-3) at Chicago Blackhawks (22-18-6)
8:30PM Eastern/7:30 Central
RADIO: WGN 720
TV: WGN/NBC Sports
PROJECTED GOALIES:
Tampa Bay:
Andrei Vasilevskiy (27-9-2, 2.27 GAA, .927 save%)
Chicago:
Jeff Glass (3-2-1, 3.34 GAA, .905 save%)
PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:
Tampa Bay
Namestnikov-Stamkos-Kucherov
Palat-Point-Johnson
Killorn-Gourde-Conacher
Kunitz-Paquette-Callahan
Koekkoek-Stralman
Sergachev-Girardi
Coburn-Dotchin
Chicago
Saad-Toews-Duclair
Sharp-Schmaltz-Kane
DeBrincat-Anisimov-Hartman
Jurco-Kampf-Hinostroza
Keith-Oesterle
Gustafsson-Seabrook
Kempny-Murphy
STATISTICAL COMPARISONS:
Power play:
Tampa Bay 24.4% (4rd)
Chicago 15.4% (28th)
Penalty kill:
Tampa Bay 79.3% (21st)
Chicago 82.3% (10th)
Corsi For % (5-on-5):
Tampa Bay 52.3% (6th)
Chicago 53.4% (2nd)
Faceoffs:
Tampa Bay 46.9% (30th)
Chicago 49.7% (15th)
SUMMARY:
Artem Anisimov returns to the lineup tonight after missing several games due to injury—and it comes at an especially good time for a Hawk team that has been absolutely dreadful defensively, giving up 11 goals in the last two games.
AA’s reinsertion has had a ripple effect on the lineup. He’ll start the game tonight centering the third line, with Patrick Sharp jumping up to join Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane. Tomas “6 Weeks” Jurco makes his season debut on a new fourth line, with Tommy Wingels and Lance Bouma sitting this one out.
Michal Kempny and Connor Murphy are back in tonight, with Gustav Forsling off to Rockford yesterday and Jan Rutta sharing the shrimp cocktail in the press box with Bouma and Wingels.
I had the opportunity to see the Lightning in person 3 weeks ago. They are a deep, fast, yet highly disciplined team up and down the ice that reminds me a lot of the great Detroit teams of about ten years ago.
All Everything Lightning defenseman Viktor Hedman went on IR yesterday (lower body).
We’ll recap tonight or tomorrow AM. Join the game thread below for real-time conversation on the action with JJ, Gatekeeper and the rest of the RinkRats.
Follow: @jaeckel