Blackhawks Game Day: 3 things to watch in Blackhawks home opener versus Canadiens

Chicago Blackhawks (0-1-1, 0 pts) vs Montreal Canadiens (1-1-0, 2 pts)
6 pm CT – United Center
TV: CHSN (Ball/Pang)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Roumeilotis)

The Chicago Blackhawks are hosting the Montreal Canadiens for their 100th home opener tonight. They will seek their first win on a special night that includes a red carpet ceremony and extended pregame festivities. There is no doubt that the United Center will be buzzing.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to coach two Original Six franchises,” head coach Jeff Blashill said this morning. "To take part in the Centennial season like this makes it extra special. To get the chance to be around so many of the great players who played here puts it into perspective how special it really is. It’s a great reminder that every second in this league is special and to cherish every second of it.”

Once the puck drops, the Blackhawks will be challenged by a young team that took a big step into the postseason last year. They are a team the Blackhawks want to emulate by making strides this season. The Habs lost 5-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday and rebounded with a 5-1 thrashing of the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. Tonight’s game wraps up a three-game road trip before heading home for the next four.

The Blackhawks will want to stay out of the penalty box tonight, as old nemesis Patrik Laine does his best work on the man advantage. In 30 career games against the Blackhawks, he has 18 goals and 27 points, including four power-play tallies.

Lukas Reichel Makes Season Debut

For a time during training camp, it felt that Lukas Reichel wouldn’t be on the roster come opening night. A trade has yet to materialize, but the former first-round pick was a healthy scratch for the first two games against the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins. With Jason Dickinson and Landon Slaggert both injured, Reichel will draw back in tonight.

Reichel will center the fourth line, a spot he spent most of last season in. He’s in a tough spot because he’s a player with top-six skill being asked to change his style and take on a bottom-six role. Regardless of where he’s played, consistency has been his biggest enemy during his young career. This is his shot to prove to Blashill that he belongs in the lineup. Another night of a blank score sheet and little impact on the ice will doom him back to the press box until the team finds a new home for him.

New Look Third Line

Ryan Donato spent all training camp on the top line with Connor Bedard and Andre Burakovsky. That lasted in that spot all of two periods. With Dickinson out, it makes sense to put him on the third line to keep a defensive-shutdown unit together.

“He’s going to play on a line tonight that will have some hard matchups,” Blashill said. “He’s a veteran player. He understands that to win, you have to check for offense.”

Ryan Green will move up and center the line with Ilya Mikheyev on the wing. They will have the assignment of trying to shut down the Canadiens’ dangerous top line. Don’t be surprised if this trio produces some offense tonight, as Mikheyev has five goals and 12 points in 21 career games against Montreal.

Blashill didn't think Dickinson's injury was too serious when as about it this morning. He said he'll likely miss a couple of days, possibly a week.

Artyom Levshunov, In or Out?

We have seen the ups and downs typical of a young defenseman with Artyom Levshunov through the first two games. He’s made some nice offensive plays, like setting up Burakovsky’s game-tying goal in Boston. But, he’s taken four minor penalties already, including one late in regulation against the Bruins.

“It’s a learning process, and that’s just the reality of it,” Blashill said. “I thought there were some good moments, and there were some that he has to learn from. Certainly, taking a penalty late in the game is a big moment. Guys are going to make mistakes, but this isn’t about making mistakes. It’s about making choices, you can’t take penalties late in a game like that.”

Levshunov took all the line rushes this morning and quarterbacked the second power-play unit. However, he remained on the ice after the rest of the team headed back to the locker room. This is usually what a player who is scratched does. There was no lineup on the board in the room, but it is hard to imagine he’d be out of the lineup for the home opener.

We’ll have to see how the team lines up during pregame warmups. Blashill didn’t tip his hand about skating seven defensemen in Boston, so this could be a little gamesmanship. If he’s in the lineup, playing on home ice should help get him going in the right direction.

Season Series

10/11 vs MTL
12/18 @ MTL

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-5 tied with 1
A-Tyler Bertuzzi/Frank Nazar (2)
P-Nazar (3)
PPG-N/A
GWG-N/A
SOG-Nazar (5)
PIM-Artyom Levshunov

Canadiens Team Leaders

G-Zachary Bolduc/Oliver Kapanen (2)
A-Brendan Gallagher (3)
P-Gallagher (3)
PPG-Slafkovsky (1)
GWG-Kapanen (1)
SOG-Slafkovsky (8)
PIM-Gallagher (4)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-2.50 (20th)
GA/G-3.50 (19th)
PP%-0.0 (19th)
PK%-71.4 (25th)
SOG/G-21.5 (29th)
SA/G-35.0 (29th)
FO%-41.5 (29th)
PIM/G-11:30 (25th)

Canadiens Team Stats

GF/G-3.50 (10th)
GA/G-3.00 (14th)
PP%-20.0 (15th)
PK%-83.3 (14th)
SOG/G-24.0 (26th)
SA/G-29.0 (14th)
FO%-41.4 (30th)
PIM/G-6:00 (8th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

Forwards
Andre Burakovsky-Connor Bedard-Colton Dach
Tyler Bertuzzi-Frank Nazar-Teuvo Teravainen
Ryan Donato-Ryan Greene-Ilya Mikheyev
Nick Foligno-Lukas Reichel-Sam Lafferty

Defensemen
Alex Vlasic-Sam Rinzel
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy

Scratched
D-Louis Crevier

Injured
G-Laurent Brossoit (knee), F-Joey Anderson (lower body), F-Landon Slaggert (lower body), F-Jason Dickinson (upper body)

Canadiens Probable Lines

Forwards
Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki-Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook-Oliver Kapanen-Ivan Demidov

Zachary Bolduc-Kirby Dach-Brendan Gallagher
Patrik Laine-Jake Evans-Josh Anderson

Defensemen
Mike Matheson-Noah Dobson
Kaiden Guhle-Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj-Alexandre Carrier

Scratched
F-Joe Veleno, D-Jayden Struble

Injured
D-David Reinbacher (hand)

Goaltending Matchup

Spencer Knight (0-1-0, 3.05 GAA, .919 SV%, 0 SO) vs Sam Montembeault (0-1-0, 3.07 GAA, .880 SV%, 0 SO)