Black Hawk
FanSided

Trevor van Riemsdyk & Bryan Bickell Likely In Game #3 Lineup

By Keith Schultz

facebooktwitterreddit

After doing this blog for sometime now, you kind of get a handle on Joel Quenneville‘s patterns.  He’s very coy and never gives a definite, 100% answer and normally uses words like “Likely” or “Could Play”  when giving answers about his possible lineups.

Today, Joel Quenneville sure made it sound like there is going to be a lineup change in both the defense and forwards lineup come Game #3 when the Chicago Blackhawks head home to play the Tampa Bay Lightning at the United Center in the Stanley Cup Final.

The first move looked to be sealed after the first goal by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night when Kyle Cumiskey couldn’t win the race for icing, turned the puck over, and on second chance couldn’t clear the puck.  Trevor van Riemsdyk has been ready since travelling to Tampa and that goal just opened the reason to get TVR back in the game and put Kyle Cumiskey back on the bench.  So today we get this quote from Joel Quenneville.

Coach Q said TVR “couldplay” tomorrow. #Blackhawks

— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) June 7, 2015

Ever since Michal Rozsival went down in Game #4 of the Minnesota Wild series, there has been nothing but a lot of speculation that TVR would find his way back into the Chicago Blackhawks defensive rotation.  Trevor van Riemsdyk was solid in most of his 15 starts during the regular season, but he’s been injured ever since so the expectations are in my eyes way to high for him.

More from Blackhawks News

Either way Kyle Cumiskey and David Rundblad have been getting 4-8 minutes a game so it’s not like TVR will have big skates and ice time to fill, but if he can come in and settle down the last pairing the Chicago Blackhawks defense can get some more breathes on the bench than they have been getting since the beginning of the Anaheim Ducks series.

The other change in the lineup looks to be the return of Bryan Bickell with more than likely Kris Versteeg heading back to the pressbox for Game #3.  Bryan Bickell is the leading hitter in the playoffs which you can take with a grain of salt, but he’s been more active and has been a bit unlucky in the scoring department. He’s a wild card that the Blackhawks could use when the series shifts to Chicago.

The only other option would be Bickell replaces Patrick Sharp, but as disappointing his two penalties were in Game #2, I doubt Q would switch out the veteran winger in the Finals.

Coach Q made some ill advised lineup change before Game #3 of the Anaheim Ducks series,  these changes before Game #3 of the Stanley Cup Final look to be more on the mark.

What do you think of these proposed changes for Game #3?

https://blackhawkup.com/2015/06/07/chicago-blackhawks-what-we-can-take-from-the-road-trip/

More from Blackhawk Up

Home/Blackhawks News