Blackhawks Game Day Preview: Connor Bedard & Co look to end their frustration against Avalanche

Chicago Blackhawks (2-6-1, 5 pts) vs Colorado Avalanche (5-4-0, 10 pts)
8:00 pm CT – Ball Arena
TV: CHSN (Ball/Pang)
Radio: 720 AM (Wiedeman/Murray)

The Chicago Blackhawks are in Denver tonight for their first look at the Colorado Avalanche. Tonight’s tilt is a matchup of teams heading in the opposite direction. The Blackhawks have lost four straight, while the Avalanche have won five in a row after starting the season 0-4-0. Colorado played last night, beating the Ottawa Senators 5-4.

Head coach Luke Richardson has tweaked his lineup a bit for tonight. He has put Philipp Kurashev on the top line with Connor Bedard and Teuvo Tervainen. Kurashev has just one goal in eight games, so Richarson hopes he can rekindle the chemistry he had with Bedard last season. Lukas Reichel, who played on the first line last game, will be back on the fourth line with Pat Maroon and Craig Smith.

The Blackhawks lost three out of the four meetings with the Avalanche last season, getting outscored 16-3. Tyler Bertuzzi scored a hat trick as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs the last time he faced Colorado. Bedard, who has a goal in each of the previous two games, has yet to light the lamp against the Avalanche. He had two assists in last season’s four-game series.

Season Series

10/28 @ COL
1/8 vs COL
3/10 @ COL
4/2 vs CHI

Quotables 

 “We’ve got to play a full 60 minutes in the league. Everyone is a good hockey team. We’ve got to find ways to generate offense that’s not off the rush. That’s getting pucks in. Generate offense below the top of the circles. Get those second and third opportunities. Create that shooter’s mentality. We’re not doing of enough of that.”

Pat Maroon

“We need that one extra ingredient. There’s one little mistake every night. Or one bounce that doesn’t go our way. We’ve got to keep trying things until we get over that hump to get that win and get ourselves rolling in a positive win. So, we’ll keep trying things. With those three veteran guys, maybe we’ll find something in the offensive zone as well.”

Luke Richardson on changing the second line center.

“We’ve got to keep pushing and creating opportunities until they fall our way. Sometimes, you have to be determined and sick and tired of falling one goal short. Usually, it’s a tough grind-it-out one-goal win.”

Richardson on how to end the losing streak.

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Teuvo Teravainen/Nick Foligno/Craig Smith/Connor Bedard/Ryan Donato (3)
A-Connor Bedard/Seth Jones (6)
P-Bedard (9)
PPG-Teravainen/Tyler Bertuzzi (2)
SOG-Bedard (32)
PIM-Pat Maroon (19)

Avalanche Team Leaders

G-Ross Colton (8)
A-Cale Makar (13)
P-Makar (16)
PPG-Colton (4)
SOG-Nathan MacKinnon (35)
PIM-MacKinnon/Josh Manson (12)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-2.44 (29^th)
GA/G-3.44 (22^nd)
PP%-20.0 (15^th)
PK%-77.8 (16^th)
SOG/G-28.9 (16^th)
SA/G-29.4 (17^th)
FO%-47.6 (25^th)
PIM/G-8:40 (16^th)

Avalanche Team Stats

GF/G-3.78 (6^th)
GA/G-4.00 (29^th)
PP%-19.2 (18^th)
PK%-92.3 (1^st)
SOG/G-30.9 (10^th)
SA/G-26.1 (3^rd)
FO%-45.1 (30^th)
PIM/G-8:13 (11^th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

Forwards
Philipp Kurashev-Connor Bedard-Teuvo Teravainen
Taylor Hall- Nick Foligno-Tyler Bertuzzi
Ilya Mikheyev-Jason Dickinson-Ryan Donato
Pat Maroon-Lukas Reichel-Craig Smith

Defensemen
Wyatt Kaiser-Seth Jones
Alex Vlasic-Connor Murphy
Nolan Allan-T.J. Brodie

Scratched:
G-Arvid Soderblom, F- Andreas Athanasiou, F-Joey Anderson

Injured:
D-Alec Martinez (groin), G-Laurent Brossoit (knee)

Avalanche Probable Lines

Forwards
Ross Colton-Nathan MacKinnon-Mikko Rantanen
Nikolai Kovalenko-Casey Mittelstadt-Logan O’Connor
Miles Wood-Parker Kelly-Joel Kiviranta
Chris Wagner-Ivan Ivan-Matthew Steinburg

Defensemen
Devon Toews-Cale Makar
Samule Girard-Josh Manson
Calvin de Haan-Sam Malinski

Scratched
F-Maximilian Curran, D-Oliver Kylington, D-John Ludvig

Injured
F-Jonathan Drouin (upper body), F-Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder), F-Gabriel Landeskog (knee), D-Tucker (head)

Goaltending Matchup

Petr Mrazek (2-5-0, .893 SV%, 3.20 GAA, 0 SO) vs Alexander Georgiev (1-3-0, .810 SV%, 4.99 GAA, 0 SO)

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