Blackhawks look to score first in season finale with Kings

Chicago Blackhawks (12-9-6, 30 pts) @ Los Angeles Kings (12-8-7, 31 pts)
8 pm CT – Crypto.com Arena
TV: CHSN (Ball/Pang)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)

The Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings will play the rubber match in their three-game regular-season series. They have split the first two games, with the road team winning both. This is a unique situation with these two teams playing in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

There should be no surprises tonight. The Blackhawks want to play at a high pace and use their speed advantage to create scoring chances. The Kings want to slow the game down and play solid team defense. Whoever gets the other team to play their style will likely come out with the win.

“Both teams play to a certain identity,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot of tricks out there with either team. It’s going to be about having good legs and executing. When we play the right way, we’re a really good hockey team. We’ve just got to continue to play the right way on a consistent basis.”

Teuvo Teravainen Uncertain

The Blackhawks did not hold a morning skate today. They did practice yesterday without veteran forward Teuvo Teravainen. He took a puck to the mouth late in Thursday’s win and needed to have some dental work done after losing some teeth. Blashill said he was questionable for the rest of the weekend, so we’ll have to wait until pregame warmups to see if he’s in the lineup.

Playing with The Lead

Scoring first and building a lead will be crucial if the Blackhawks want to sweep this set of back-to-back games against the Kings. We saw what playing ahead does to the Kings on Thursday. Because they were attacking, trying to chase two goals in the third period, it led to more open ice and scoring chances for the Blackhawks. During the Kings' win in October, they took a lead into the final period and clamped down on the Blackhawks’ offense.

The Blackhawks have scored first in 18 of their 27 games this season and are 11-4-3 in those games. They only have one win in the nine games when they have surrendered the first goal, and that came last Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks.

Fare Thee Well, Anze Kopitar

Unless these two teams face each other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is unlikely, tonight will be the final game for Anze Kopitar against the Blackhawks. The future Hall of Famer is hanging up his skates after this season, and the Kings will have a hard time filling the void left behind by their long-time captain.

Watching Kopitar and Jonathan Toews in their primes battle it out in back-to-back Western Conference Finals was a treat. Even though the Blackhawks lost, that 2014 series was some of the best postseason hockey I’ve ever seen.

Kopitar does not have a point in the two games against the Blackhawks this season. In 58 career games, he has 16 goals and 42 points.

Season Series

10/26 vs LAK, L 1-3
12/4 @ LAK, W 2-1
12/6 @ LAK

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Connor Bedard (18)
A-Bedard (21)
P-Bedard (39)
PPG-Tyler Bertuzzi (7)
GWG-Bedard (3)
SOG-Bedard (95)
PIM-Colton Dach (32)

Kings Team Leaders

G-Kevin Fiala (10)
A-Quinton Byfield (15)
P-Adrian Kempe (23)
PPG-Anze Kopitar (3)
GWG-Kempe (4)
SOG-Kempe (84)
PIM-Jeff Malott (23)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-3.15 (11th)
GA/G-2.81 (10th)
PP%-23.2 (9th)
PK%-85.3 (4th)
SOG/G-25.7 (28th)
SA/G-30.1 (27th)
FO%-47.1 (27th)
PIM/G-11:35 (30th)

Kings Team Stats

GF/G-2.56 (29th)
GA/G-2.59 (5th)
PP%-12.9 (32nd)
PK%-80.0(22nd)
SOG/G-28.5 (14th)
SA/G-26.4 (8th)
FO%-49.1 (20th)
PIM/G-7:20 (5th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

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

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

Scratched
F-Sam Lafferty,

Injured
F-Nick Foligno (hand), Teuvo Teravainen (mouth)

Kings Probable Lines

Forwards
Trevor Moore-Anze Kopitar-Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala-Quinton Byfield-Joel Armia
Warren Foegle-Alex Laferriere-Andrei Kuzmenko
Alex Turcotte-Philipp Danaualt-Corey Perry

Defensemen
Mikey Anderson-Joel Edmundson
Drew Doughty-Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin-Cody Ceci

Scratched
F-Samuel Helenius, D-Jacob Moverare, F-Jeff Malott

Injured
None

Goaltending Matchup

Arvid Soderblom (3-4-1, 3.53 GAA, .879 SV%, 0 SO) vs Darcy Kuemper (8-6-5, 2.35 GAA, .910 SV%, 1 SO)