Chicago Blackhawks’ Vinnie Hinostroza Called Up From Rockford

Vinnie Hinostroza didn’t spend a whole lot of extra time in the AHL, as the Chicago Blackhawks recalled him for their second game off a bye week

Personal anecdote time: Last night, my mom texted me upset that Vinnie Hinostroza was not with the team for their game against the Edmonton Oilers. I assured her it was only temporary that he would not be in the NHL, though.

Turns out it was barely even temporary. After the Blackhawks lost 3-1 at home despite being the better team for large stretches, they decided to recall Hinostroza from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

There will be no corresponding move, as the Blackhawks were playing with a 22-man roster.

Hinostroza will bring fresh legs and above-average speed back to the lineup (presumably) tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Hinostroza, who was playing well alongside Ryan Hartman and Tanner Kero before getting sent down prior to the bye week, has 14 points on the season in Chicago.

What does it mean for the forwards?

Since there isn’t a whole lot to talk about with Hinostroza’s re-arrival, let’s take a look at what could be iced tonight by the Blackhawks in Buffalo.

Obviously, they’ll have a pretty tired group of guys, having played the night before and pressing hard/chasing for large portions of the game before traveling to New York.

So it’s best to keep things relatively simple. Don’t touch the first or second lines. The only forward change I’d make would be inserting Hinostroza for Andrew Desjardins, who couldn’t crack seven minutes of ice time last night.

Then, I’d shift Hinostroza to play alongside Hartman and Kero, putting Marian Hossa with Dennis Rasmussen and Marcus Kruger.

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While some may not like the idea of placing Hossa on what appears to be a checking line, he really turns it into more of an offensive threat. We know Kruger and Rasmussen, specifically Kruger, are good at flipping the ice. That combined with Hossa’s ability to work along the walls and produce scoring chances should make for a balanced line.

What about the rest of tonight’s lineup?

On defense, I wouldn’t change anything. However, I don’t think we’re going to see the same six guys we saw last night. Even though Trevor van Riemsdyk looked lost as all getout whenever he was on the ice, it’s unlikely he’ll take a seat.

We all know, if any move happens tonight, it’ll be Michal Kempny leaving the lineup for Michal Rozsival. Which is a terrible swap, but Kempny was beaten by Milan Lucic for what would turn out to be the winning goal last night. No doubt coach Joel Quenneville was furiously scribbling on his little notepad when he saw that.

It would make sense for Scott Darling to draw into the net tonight as well, on the second half of a back-to-back that saw Corey Crawford start the opener.

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We’ll see what comes to fruition tonight against the Sabres, who are surprisingly only two points out of a playoff spot at the time of this post.

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