Blackhawks go back to 12-6 lineup against Maple Leafs

Chicago Blackhawks (8-5-4, 20 pts) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (8-8-2, 18 pts)
6 pm CT – United Center
TV: CHSN (Ball/Pang)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Chelios/Roumeliotis)

The Chicago Blackhawks are back in action tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They will be looking to extend their point streak to five games after Wednesday's overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils.

The Maple Leafs are coming into town reeling a bit. They have lost four straight games and will be without their captain, Auston Matthews, for the second straight game. He suffered a lower-body injury in Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Bruins. If the Stanley Cup Playoffs were to start today, the Blackhawks would be in and the Maple Leafs would be out. It’s still very early, but I don’t think anyone predicted that before the season started.

If you are coming down to the game, hopefully you’re arriving early, and not just to get the Tony Esposito bobblehead. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 5:30 for a special Originals pregame ceremony. Pat Foley will be back to emcee the ceremony, which will celebrate the hockey innovation that has taken place throughout Blackhawks history.

Back to 12-6

For the first time since the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 11, the Blackhawks will skate the traditional 12 forwards and six defensemen lineup. Who those 12 forwards will be remains a mystery.

Andre Burakovsky will return to the lineup after an illness kept him out of the Devils' game. Tyler Bertuzzi, who missed Friday’s practice, and Frank Nazar, who missed the last two games, took part in the Blackhawks’ morning skate. Both are considered game-time decisions, but it sounds like Bertuzzi is the more likely to play out of the two. Jason Dickinson, who has been a full participant in practice the last few days, is not ready to return to the lineup.

It appears that Landon Slaggert and Sam Lafferty will both play tonight, especially if Bertuzzi or Nazar is held out. It’s hard to sit out either one of them after they both scored in the third period against New Jersey. We will see how the lineup shakes out during the pregame warmups.

Resetting Sam Rinzel

Sam Rinzel will be the odd man out on the blue line. He will be a healthy scratch tonight, or as head coach Jeff Blashill puts it, he’s getting a “reset.” Artyom Levshunov sat out against Montreal last month and benefited from the step back. The Blackhawks are hoping for the same results with Rinzel.

This move isn’t entirely unexpected. Rinzel was taken off the top pair for the last game and has had his minutes restricted. Blashill hinted after Friday’s practice that this could be happening soon.

“He has to eliminate some of the scoring chances against him,” Blashill said. “And we’ve got to get him back to playing his best hockey. When he’s at his best, he controls the puck more.”

Blashill added that if they feel a reset is best for Rinzel’s long-term development, they would remove him from the lineup. Obviously, that is how they feel tonight.

Kick Them While They’re Down

The Maple Leafs are fighting it right now. They have lost four straight games, while getting outscored 19-13. They have not been a very good defensive team, as Craig Berube has called them out numerous times already this season. Perhaps trading away one of the best two-way forwards in the game was not the brightest idea after all.

Toronto comes into tonight ranked 31st in goals allowed (3.83 per game), 28th in shots on goal allowed (31.8), and 23rd in 5-on-5 scoring chances allowed (414). They are a mess in the defensive zone. Plus, goaltender Joseph Woll is making his season debut tonight, so the Blackhawks need to put the pressure on early and keep it on throughout the night. This is a winnable game if they limit the mistakes and capitalize on the chances they create.

Season Series

11/15 vs TOR
12/16 @ TOR

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Connor Bedard (10)
A-Bedard (16)
P-Bedard (26)
PPG-Tyler Bertuzzi (5)
GWG-Ryan Donato (2)
SOG-Bedard (54)
PIM-Louis Crevier (25)

Maple Leafs Team Leaders

G-John Tavares (11)
A-Matthew Knies/William Nylander (17)
P-Nylander (25)
PPG-Knies/Tavares (2)
GWG-Auston Matthews (2)
SOG-Matthews (65)
PIM-Simon Benoit (17)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-3.29 (10th)
GA/G-2.59 (3rd)
PP%-26.0 (5th)
PK%-84.1 (8th)
SOG/G-24.9 (29th)
SA/G-31.8 (30th)
FO%-47.1 (27th)
PIM/G-10:52 (28th)

Maple Leafs Team Stats

GF/G-3.61 (4th)
GA/G-3.83 (31st)
PP%-17.0 (24th)
PK%-78.2 (19th)
SOG/G-27.4 (19th)
SA/G-31.2 (28h)
FO%-55.9 (2nd)
PIM/G-7:50 (7th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

Forwards
Tyler Bertuzzi-Connor Bedard-Andre Burakovsky
Teuvo Teravainen-Ryan Greene-Ilya Mikheyev
Oliver Moore-Ryan Donato-Colton Dach
Landon Slaggert-Nick Foligno-Sam Lafferty

Defensemen
Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy

Scratched
D-Sam Rinzel

Injured
G-Laurent Brossoit (hip), F-Jason Dickinson (upper body), F-Frank Nazar (lower body)

Maple Leafs Probable Lines

Forwards
Matthew Knies-John Tavares-William Nylander
Matias Maccelli-Max Domi-Bobby McMann
Sammy Blais-Nicolas Roy-Nicholas Robertson
Dakota Joshua-Steven Lorentz-Calle Jarnkrok

Defensemen
Morgan Reilly-Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit-Jake McCabe
Dakota Mermis-Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Scratched
F-Easton Cowan, D-Philippe Myers, D-Troy Stecher

Injured
F-Scott Laughton (upper body), F-Auston Matthews (lower body), D-Rifai Marshall (wrist), G-Anthony Stolarz (upper body), D-Chris Tanev (upper body)

Goaltending Matchup

Spencer Knight (6-3-3, 2.46 GAA, 1 SO) vs Joseph Will (season debut)