Blackhawks need to channel their resiliency against Sabres

Chicago Blackhawks (10-6-4, 24 pts) @ Buffalo Sabres (7-9-4, 18 pts)
6 pm CT – KeyBank Center
TV: CHSN (Ball/Pang)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)

The Chicago Blackhawks will play on back-to-back nights for the first time this season. This couldn’t have come at a better time since they will want to forget about last night’s epic collapse to the Seattle Kraken as quickly as possible.

The Sabres are still in their mediocrity rut. They are constantly spinning their tires in the mud, wondering when they are going to trade away the next young and talented player. You have to feel bad for the fans. Buffalo is a great hockey market with loyal fans who deserve better than the cycle of disappointment they are stuck in.

The Blackhawks have 36 points in their last 26 trips to Buffalo, with only seven regulation losses. Last night’s goal scorers, Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, have enjoyed a fair amount of success against the Sabres. Bertuzzi has six goals and 11 points in 10 games, while Teravainen has seven goals and 22 points in his last 16 games against the Sabres.

Andre Burakovsky Out

The Blackhawks are once again dealing with another key injury. Forward Andre Burakovsky will miss tonight’s game after being hit in the head by Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren. There is no timetable for his return yet. He’ll join captain Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson on the injured list. Fortunately, Dickinson is close to returning, but that is unlikely to happen tonight.

Landon Slagger will draw back in as the Blackhawks will skate seven defensemen again. This strategy was heavily criticized last night, as they had to play with 10 forwards for the final two periods. While that was a contributing factor in the poor third period, we’ve seen coaches shorten benches in close games, even when dressing 12 forwards.

Stick to the Theme

All season long, we’ve talked about how resilient this Blackhawks team is. We’ve seen them bounce back within a game to overcome adversity. However, tonight they need to rebound from their worst loss in years. They need to shake off giving up three third-period goals and the controversial finish.

The Blackhawks need to come out and dominate tonight’s game. The Sabres have lost seven of their last 10 games, including Wednesday night's loss to the Calgary Flames. They struggle to score goals and to keep the puck out of their own net. With the Colorado Avalanche coming to town on Sunday, the Blackhawks cannot let last night’s disappointment carry over into tonight's game.

Another Big Chance for Ryan Greene

Rookie Ryan Greene will get another night with the top line. While his skill set doesn’t scream top-line forward, he’s been making the best of the opportunity. He and Connor Bedard have been forming good chemistry.

Greene was held off the scoresheet last night after points in back-to-back games. In the last two games, the Blackhawks have had 16 5-on-5 scoring chances with him on the ice, while giving up 12.

Season Series

11/21 @ BUF
4/13 vs BUF

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Connor Bedard (13)
A-Bedard (16)
P-Bedard (29)
PPG-Tyler Bertuzzi (5)
GWG-Ryan Donato/Bedard (2)
SOG-Bedard (70)
PIM-Louis Crevier/Colton Dach (25)

Sabres Team Leaders

G-Tage Thompson (10)
A-Rasmus Dahlin (13)
P-Thompson (18)
PPG-4 players tied with 2
GWG-Mattias Samuelsson (2)
SOG-Thompson (78)
PIM-Peyton Krebs (34)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-3.30 (7th)
GA/G-2.55 (3rd)
PP%-24.1 (9th)
PK%-8 (6th)
SOG/G-25.1 (29th)
SA/G-31.1 (29th)
FO%-46.6 (29th)
PIM/G-12:51 (32nd)

Sabres Team Stats

GF/G-2.85 (24th)
GA/G-3.55 (27th)
PP%-16.4 (24th)
PK%-89.8 (1st)
SOG/G-28.0 (16th)
SA/G-32.0 (32nd)
FO%-42.6 (32nd)
PIM/G-10:24 (24th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

Forwards
Ryan Greene-Connor Bedard-Tyler Bertuzzi
Teuvo Teravaien-Frank Nazar-Oliver Moore
Colton Dach-Ryan Donato-Ilya Mikheyev
Landon Slaggert-Sam Lafferty

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

Scratched
None

Injured
G-Laurent Brossoit (hip), F-Jason Dickinson (upper body), F-Nick Foligno (hand), F-Andre Burakovsky (upper body)

Sabres Probable Lines

Forwards
Josh Doan-Tage Thompson-Alex Tuch
Jack Quinn-Ryan McLeod-Jason Zucker
Isak Rosen-Tyson Kozak-Noah Ostlund
Jordan Greenway-Payton Krebs-Beck Malenstyn

Defensemen
Rasmus Dahlin-Mattias Samuelsson
Bowen Byram-Connor Timmins
Owen Power-Jacob Bryson

Scratched
F-Joshua Dunne, D-Zach Metsa, G-Colten Ellis

Injured
F-Zach Benson (lower body), F-Justin Danforth (lower body), D-Michael Kesselring (lower body), F-Jiri Kulich (Ear), F-Josh Norris

Goaltending Matchup

Arvid Soderblom (3-2-1, 2.52 GAA, .912 SV%, 0 SO) vs Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1-3-0, 3.88 GAA, .906 SV%, 0 SO)