Another NHL debut as Blackhawks take on Flyers

Chicago Blackhawks (27-31-13, 67 pts) @ Philadelphia Flyers (34-24-12, 80 pts)
6 pm CT – Xfinity Mobile Arena
TV: CHSN (Ball/Pang)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)

The Chicago Blackhawks are back in action tonight with their second and final game against the Philadelphia Flyers. They lost 3-1 in the first meeting right before Christmas, with Ryan Donato scoring their only goal. Donato has three goals in his last two games against the Flyers.

After a long regular-season losing streak in the City of Brotherly Love, the Blackhawks have gone 2-0-1 in their last three visits to the Xfinity Mobile Arena. The second line is coming off a huge game against the New York Islanders, and look for Tyler Bertuzzi to keep that going tonight. He has two goals and eight points in his last five road games versus the Flyers.

On the other side of the rink, Travis Konecny has been a giant pain against the Blackhawks. The Flyers’ leading scorer has five goals and 11 points in his last six games versus Chicago. In 17 career games, he has seven goals and 18 points. He has multiple points in each of the last three games, so shutting him down will go a long way to start this road trip with back-to-back victories.

Sacha Boisvert Finally Debuts

For the second straight game, the Blackhawks will be led onto the ice with a rookie lap. Although he signed his NHL contract 10 days ago, Sacha Boisvert will finally make his league debut tonight. He centered the fourth line between Teuvo Teravainen and Landon Slaggert at morning skate. With his debut, eight of general manager Kyle Davidson's 11 first-round picks have now played in the NHL.

Boisvert told reporters this morning that the long wait actually helped him. It allowed him to get to know his teammates and feel more comfortable at this level. Plus, he got to eat NHL food, which has to be an upgrade from the food court at Boston University.

Don’t be surprised to see Boisvert’s line start the game. Look for him to try to set the tone early with some physicality.

Nick Lardis Looks to Stay Hot

It took six games for Nick Lardis to get bumped into the top six, and he’s played the last two games like he never wants to leave. He scored a goal against the Nashville Predators on Sunday before starting the road trip with another goal and a career-high three points.

Head coach Jeff Blashill said the Predators game was his best of the season, but then said he got even better against the Islanders. Playing up with Bertuzzi and Frank Nazar has not only jump-started his stats, but also his confidence.

“Obviously, it’s pretty easy to play to my strengths when I’m playing with two unbelievable players, Frank and Bert,” he said on Tuesday. “But yeah, I just want to keep it going on here. Like I said, take advantage of the opportunity and just do what I can to help the team win.”

Keeping the Road Success Going

The Blackhawks have played well on the road of late. Their victory over the Islanders gave them points in six of their last seven road games, and 11 of their last 16. Bertuzzi has been a big part of the road success, with 19 of his 29 goals coming away from the United Center. Ten of his 11 power-play goals have come on the road, which leads the NHL.

Tonight’s starting goaltender, Spencer Knight, has gone 2-1-1 in his last four road games, posting a .919 save percentage (SV%) and 2.44 goals-against average (GAA). He’s made three career starts against the Flyers and has gone 2-1-1, giving up 11 goals on 77 shots. Konecny and Owen Tippett lead the Flyers with two goals against Knight.

Season Series

12/23 vs PHI, 1-3 L
3/26 @ PHI

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Connor Bedard/Tyler Bertuzzi (29)
A-Bedard (37)
P-Bedard (66)
PPG-Tyler Bertuzzi (11)
GWG-Bedard (5)
SOG-Bedard (192)
PIM-Louis Crevier (57)

Flyers Team Leaders

G-Travis Konecny (25)
A-Konecny (35)
P-Konecny (60)
PPG-Trevor Zegras (8)
GWG-Noah Cates (4)
SOG-Owen Tippett (194)
PIM-Matvei Michkov (61)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-2.59 (30th)
GA/G-3.14 (22nd)
PP%-18.1 (22nd)
PK%-84.5 (1st)
SOG/G-24.4 (32nd)
SA/G-30.0 (31st)
FO%-46.5 (31st)
PIM/G-9:15 (22nd)

Flyers Team Stats

GF/G-2.79 (25th)
GA/G-3.00 (12th)
PP%-14.8 (32nd)
PK%-78.1 (20th)
SOG/G-25.2 (30th)
SA/G-25.7 (4th)
FO%-48.7 (23rd)
PIM/G-10:07 (28th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

Forwards
Ryan Greene-Connor Bedard-Anton Frondell
Tyler Bertuzzi-Frank Nazar-Nick Lardis
Andre Burakovsky-Ryan Donato-Ilya Mikheyev
Teuvo Teravainen-Sacha Boisvert-Landon Slaggert

Defensemen
Alex Vlasic-Artyom Levshunov
Wyatt Kaiser-Sam Rinzel
Ethan Del Mastro-Louis Crevier

Scratched
F-Sam Lafferty, F-Dominic Toninato

Injured
F-Oliver Moore (lower body), F-Andre Mangiapane (lower body), D-Matt Grzelcyk (upper body)

Flyers Probable Lines

Forwards
Alex Bump-Christian Dvorak-Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey-Trevor Zegras-Owen Tippett
Carl Grundstrim-Noad Cates-Matvei Michkov
Sean Couturier-Luke Glendening-Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen
Travis Sanheim-Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York-Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler-Emil Andrae

Scratched

D-Noah Juulsen, F-Garrett Wilson

Injured
F-Rodrigo Abols (ankle), F-Tyson Foerster (arm), F-Nikita Grebenkin (upper body), D-Ty Murchison (upper body)

Goaltending Matchup

Spencer Knight (18-19-10, 2.64 GAA, .909 SV%, 3 SO) vs Dan Vladar (23-12-7, 2.43 GAA, .907 SV%, 0 SO)