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Chicago Blackhawks Final Preseason Game Preview

By Gail Kauchak
Mar 9, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andrew Desjardins (11) and St. Louis Blues right wing Scottie Upshall (10) battle for the puck during the first period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andrew Desjardins (11) and St. Louis Blues right wing Scottie Upshall (10) battle for the puck during the first period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defensemen Gustav Forsling (42) and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Carter Rowney (37) compete for a puck in the first period of their preseason game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defensemen Gustav Forsling (42) and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Carter Rowney (37) compete for a puck in the first period of their preseason game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /

Moving on to the defense, here is tonight’s lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks on the blue line

6 Michal Kempny
17 Ville Pokka
32 Michal Rozsival
42 Gustav Forsling
43 Viktor Svedberg
45 Dillon Fournier
57 Trevor van Riemsdyk

As you can see, the top four defensemen are getting the night off.  There will be no Duncan Keith (reported to be fine, but not playing), Niklas Hjalmarsson (suspended for tonight and opening night of the regular season), Brent Seabrook, and Brian Campbell all aren’t playing.  Tonight is the battle of the blue line for everyone else.

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Kempny and Forsling have had very solid preseasons.  A solid game tonight could cement a spot for both of them.  Van Reimsdyk and Rozsival, on the other hand, have not looked so good.  Rozy, like Desjardins, is that veteran presence that Coach Q likes to fall back on.  He could very easily be a rotating man on the third pairing.  But TVR’s position is very precarious at this point.  He needs to play his heart out tonight in order to secure his spot on the roster.

It is reported that Corey Crawford will play the entire game tonight.  He only played half of the last tilt this past Tuesday against Detroit.  He also served mainly as the backup goalie during the World Cup.  It will be good for Crow to have an entire game to shake the rust off.  Scott Darling will serve as his backup.

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With many of the starters out, tonight will feature the young talent that could be the future of the Chicago Blackhawks.  It certainly won’t be as fun as opening night against St. Louis this coming Wednesday, but it’s a final chance for the youngsters to impress.  It will be interesting to see who stands out.

Let’s Go ’Hawks!!!

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