Bedard & Celebrini headline Blackhawks' first meeting with Sharks

Chicago Blackhawks (21-25-9, 51 pts) vs San Jose Sharks (27-22-4, 58 pts)
7:30 pm CT – United Center
TV: CHSN (Ball/Pang)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)

The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks meet for the first time this season. Tonight is the last home game before the Olympic break, and fans won’t see the Blackhawks at the United Center again until March 6. They come into tonight on a five-game losing streak (0-3-2), while the Sharks have lost back-to-back games to the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

This is a matchup of two up-and-coming teams with exciting young superstars. While the Blackhawks have taken steps forward this season, they still have a way to go before they are playoff contenders. The Sharks are slightly ahead of the Blackhawks in their rebuild. They are two points out of a Wild Card spot and three points behind the Seattle Kraken for third place in the Pacific Division. They have been an exciting team this season that is never out of a game, but they are still likely another year away from being a legit postseason team.

“They obviously have a mix of young skill and veterans,” head coach Jeff Blashill said of the Sharks. “Not dissimilar to us, probably more veterans on the back end, but kind of a mix similar. There are obviously some high-end young players in the game, which always makes for, I think, fun, good hockey. It’s an organization similar to ours that’s gone through a rebuild. Both hope to be really good here in the near future and be teams that are going to compete against each other. These are similar to when we played Anaheim, they’re fun games to be a part of, not just for tonight’s game but with an eye to the future as well. Certainly, these are still big points tonight for both teams, and we want to come out with that urgency needed.”

Connor Bedard vs Macklin Celebrini

Tonight will be the first time this season that good friends Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini go head-to-head. It’s only the second time these two have played each other in the NHL, as Celebrini missed the first two games last season due to injury.

Both of these young stars got off to tremendous starts as they both spent the early part of the season near the top of the NHL in scoring. Celebrini is still fourth in scoring with 79 points. Had Bedard not missed 12 games with a shoulder injury, he’d likely be right there with them.

With these two players going first overall in consecutive NHL Drafts, of course, fans and pundits like to compare these two. Then, when you add in that both teams are in similar spots in their respective rebuilds, it’s easy to see why people love to track how they are both doing.

There isn’t a heated rivalry between the players. They are both from the Vancouver area and have been friends for a long time. They spent the summer training together. While fans of the two teams want to pit these two guys against each other, that really isn’t the case.

“It’s Blackhawks versus Sharks,” Bedard said. “I don’t think either of us looks at that, if you ask him the same thing. Obviously, I’m looking forward to seeing him off the ice and saying hi, but it’s just another game.

We’re both our own players. I work on my game and try not to compare myself to other guys. I’m rooting for him to be great, and I’m trying to be the best version of myself.”

Bedard says the rivalry is fun for fans and brings interest to the game, which he appreciates. With Blashill getting last change, it will be interesting to see if he matches the Bedard line-up with Celebrini, or if he gives that assignment to the Jason Dickinson/Ilya Mikheyev line.

Sam Rinzel Looks to Stack Up Solid Outings

Same Rinzel looked good in his return to the NHL lineup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. He looked confident and calm with the puck in the defensive zone. He led the defensemen in ice time with 22:16, which included 2:55 on the top power-play unit. He also returned from the Rockford IceHogs with a new outlook on the game.

“Part of it Is realizing that 90% of the game is just 50/50 shifts, and it’s just about winning those 50/50 shifts,” Rinzel said. “Nothing has to be flashy or crazy. It’s just learning to play with my brain and use my brain to beat guys.”

Blashill agreed with that assessment yesterday, saying it was important for a young player who is still growing into his NHL body to use his brain to control the play. Stringing together another solid game is important for Rinzel. His inconsistency is what landed him back in the AHL. Playing at your top level consistently is one of the hardest lessons for a young player to learn, so playing well into the Olympic break will go a long way in his overall progression.

Need More Oliver Moore

The only person who may have been more upset about Nick Lardis being reassigned to Rockford besides Lardis was Oliver Moore. The two rookies formed quite the duo, something they started when they began the season with the IceHogs.

Without Lardis, Moore has been centering the fourth line, where he’ll skate with Landon Slaggert and Colton Dach. He played for less than nine minutes against the Blue Jackets, which Blashill admitted wasn’t enough time.

“None of us know what his ceiling is at this level,” Blashill said. “We’re all going to watch and see. He’s got that speed and tenacity. As he gets stronger, he’s going to win even more battles. You can see him being a guy playing on a momentum line, playing against the other team’s best. Or is he going to be a complementary guy in the top six? I don’t know that yet.”

Blashill added that he’s on the fourth line to try him in that energy role, much like what he had with Yanni Gourde in Tampa Bay. I’m not sure Kyle Davidson drafted Moore 19th overall to be the next Gourde. If Andre Burakovsy struggles again tonight, Moore needs to be moved up into the lineup to give more time to be that complementary top-six guy.

Season Series

2/2 vs SJS
4/6 @ SJS
4/15 vs SJS

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Tyler Bertuzzi (25)
A-Connor Bedard (30)
P-Bedard (52)
PPG-Bertuzzi (9)
GWG-Bedard/Bertuzzi (3)
SOG-Bedard (141)
PIM-Colton Dach (45)

Sharks Team Leaders

G-Macklin Celebrini (27)
A-Celebrini (52)
P-Celebrini (79)
PPG-Kiefer Sherwood (6)
GWG-Celebrini (4)
SOG-Celebrini (183)
PIM-Barclay Goodrow/Vincent Desharnais (40)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-2.64 (27th)
GA/G-3.15 (19th)
PP%-19.4 (19th)
PK%-85.3 (1st)
SOG/G-25.0 (32nd)
SA/G-29.7 (25th)
FO%-47.1 (29th)
PIM/G-9:43 (24th)

Sharks Team Stats

GF/G-3.09 (17th)
GA/G-3.43 (28th)
PP%-20.8 (16th)
PK%-78.0 (23rd)
SOG/G-25.2 (29th)
SA/G-30.7 (31st)
FO%-47.5 (26th)
PIM/G-8:22 (16th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

Forwards
Frank Nazar-Connor Bedard-Tyler Bertuzzi
Teuvo Teravainen-Ryan Greene-Andre Burakovsky
Tyler Bertuzzi-Jason Dickinson-Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach-Oliver  Moore-Landon Slaggert

Defensemen
Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser-Sam Rinzel
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy

Scratched
F-Sam Lafferty, D-Artyom Levshunov

Injured
F-Nick Foligno (mid body)

Sharks Probable Lines

Forwards
Collin Graf-Macklin Celebrini-Will Smith
Philipp Kurashev-Alexander Wennberg-Tyler Toffoli
William Eklund-Michael Misa-Adam Gaudette
Barclay Goodrow-Zack Ostapchuk-Ryan Reaves

Defensemen
Dmitry Orlov-John Klingberg
Mario Ferraro-Shakir Mukhamadullin
Sam Dickinson-Vincent Desharnais

Scratched
F-Jeff Skinner, D-Timothy Liljegren, F-Pavol Regenda

Injured
F-Logan Couture (groin), F-Ty Dellandrea (lower body), G-Carey Price (knee), F-Kiefer Sherwood (upper body)

Goaltending Matchup

Spencer Knight (15-15-7, 2.60 GAA, .909 SV%, 3 SO) vs Yaroslav Askarov (17-13-2, 3.47 GAA, .890 SV%, 0 SO)