Line changes made with hopes of Blackhawks tilting the ice against Avalanche

Chicago Blackhawks (22-27-9, 53 pts) @ Colorado Avalanche (38-10-9, 85 pts)
5 pm CT – Ball Arena
TV: CHSN (Ball/Granato)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Grey/Chelios)

The Chicago Blackhawks continue their four-game road trip with their only visit of the season to the Ball Arena. The Colorado Avalanche sit atop the NHL standings despite coming off a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild and only four wins in their last 10 games. The Blackhawks restarted their season with a 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday after taking a 2-1 lead early in the third period.

The Avalanche won the first meeting of the series just before Thanksgiving, but the Blackhawks held the league’s top-scoring team to just one goal. Head coach Jeff Blashill knows trying to slow Colorado down on home ice is a monumental task.

“When you play in this building, they’re usually shot out of a cannon early,” he said. “They are very, very fast and play at a high pace. They’re obviously one of the best teams in the league, so we’re going to have to be on top of our game. If we play great hockey, we’ll put ourselves in a position to win.”

Trying to Tilt the Ice

Blashill mixed up his line combinations for yesterday's practice at Denver University. Teuvo Teravainen has gone from the fourth line to the second line with Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore, with Tyler Bertuzzi sliding down to play with Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev. However, as Blashill explained, the move wasn’t necessarily made to give Teravainen a promotion.

“I need a line that can tilt the ice,” he said. “When Bertuzzi, Dickinson, and Mikheyev have played together, they’ve tilted the ice. We just need a line that can spend some time in the O-zone and can grind a little bit. It’s got more to do with that than anything else.”

It’s sound logic, as the best defense against the number one offense in the NHL is to not let them have the puck. That is no easy task, but if this line can get some established zone time and possibly draw some penalties, it will go a long way in giving the Blackhawks a chance to pull off the upset.

Let’s Be Frank

Nazar’s sophomore season has been a disappointment. After signing a big contract extension in the summer, the expectations rose for the young forward. His year has not gone as hoped, as his season has been derailed twice by injury, and his numbers have dropped significantly. A big end to the year would go a long way in building momentum for next season.

Blashill is a big believer in creating chances. He values the scoring chance stat far more than shots on goal. Despite missing 16 games, Nazar is still sixth in individual scoring chances with 66. He’s averaging 1.6 scoring chances per game, which is third behind Bertuzzi and Connor Bedard.

“I thought right before the break, he was creating a good amount,” Blashill said. “If you look back at the Tampa game, he played really good. He’s just got to continue to create as much as he can. A lot of times, that comes from playing great defensively. If you play great defensively, then you end up having the puck a lot more.”

Having Teravainen on his wing could help today, as the veteran forward has enjoyed plenty of success against the Avalanche. He has five assists over his last six games versus Colorado, and two goals and 12 points in his last 13 games.

Low-Scoring Affair?

The Avalanche won the first game of the season series 1-0, and we could be in store for another low-scoring meeting today. Spencer Knight is the likely starter for the Blackhawks, and he stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced. In three career games against the Avalanche, he is 2-1-0 with a 1.65 goals-against average (GAA) and .935 save percentage (SV%).

Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to get the nod for the home team tonight. He is 4-0-2 in career against the Blackhawks, with a 2.11 GAA and .921 SV%. If head coach Jared Bednar decides to start Scott Wedgewood, the score might go down even more. He stopped all 22 shots he saw back in November for his second career shutout of the Blackhawks. In nine career starts versus Chicago, he is 5-3-0 with a 1.76 GAA and .930 SV%. He’s allowed 15 goals on 215 shots.

Season Series

11/23 vs COL, 0-1 L
2/28 @ COL
3/20  vs COL

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Tyler Bertuzzi (26)
A-Connor Bedard (30)
P-Bedard (54)
PPG-Bertuzzi (10)
GWG-Bedard/Bertuzzi (3)
SOG-Bedard (148)
PIM-Connor Murphy (46)

Avalanche Team Leaders

G-Nathan MacKinnon (40)
A-MacKinnon (55)
P-MacKinnon (95)
PPG-Brock Nelson/MacKinnon (8)
GWG-Nelson (7)
SOG-MacKinnon (252)
PIM-Josh Manson (68)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-2.64 (26th)
GA/G-3.17 (22nd)
PP%-19.2 (21st)
PK%-85.2 (1st)
SOG/G-24.7 (32nd)
SA/G-29.4 (25th)
FO%-47.1 (29th)
PIM/G-9:30 (24th)

Avalanche Team Stats

GF/G-3.81 (1st)
GA/G-2.46 (1st)
PP%-15.1 (32nd)
PK%-83.9 (3rd)
SOG/G-34.2 (1st)
SA/G-26.9 (9th)
FO%-51.2 (9th)
PIM/G-7:06 (3rd)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

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

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

Scratched
F-Sam Lafferty, D-Kevin Korchinski, F-Colton Dach

Injured
D-Wyatt Kaiser (lower body)

Avalanche Probable Lines

Forwards
Gabriel Landeskog-Nathan MacKinnon-Martin Necas
Artturi Lehkonen-Brock Nelson-Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton-Jack Drury-Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly-Zakhar Bardakov-Gavin Brindley

Defensemen
Devon Toews-Cale Makar
Josh Manson-Brent Burns
Brett Kulak-Sam Malinski

Scratched
None

Injured
F-Logan O’Connor (hip), F-Joel Kiviranta (undisclosed)

Goaltending Matchup

Spencer Knight (16-17-7, 2.63 GAA, .907 SV%, 3 SO) vs Mackenzie Blackwood (16-6-1, 2.28 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 SO)