The Need to Knows
- Time: 5:30 pm PT
- Place: United Center in Chicago, IL
- Where to Watch: KHN, KONG, CHSN, ESPN+
- Where to Listen: Kraken Audio Network on 93.3 KJR
Know Your Enemy
The Blackhawks have won eight games since beating Seattle on Dec. 19. When they meet again on Tuesday, Chicago will seek to snap a four-game losing skid and win consecutive home games for the first time in two months. Although the Blackhawks haven’t found success this season in controlling shot quality (43.15%) or dominating in goals scored (43%) at five-on-five, they’re not without weapons. Chicago’s 9.47 SH% is 6th-best in the league, probably responsible for the fact that they’re one of two teams only to be shutout once this season– Winnipeg is the other. Allowing 2.97 goals per game (31st), however, their defense isn’t letting their shooting percentage shine.
Spencer Knight could help with that. In four starts since his acquisition he’s recorded a 2.24 GAA and .928 SV%, amounting to a respectable 2.73 GAA and .907 SV% over his 84-game career. Given Arvid Soderblom surrendered 6 goals on 15 shots in a loss to Vancouver on Saturday– a new team record— and has a 5.14 GAA and .835 SV% in just three career starts versus Seattle, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Knight in net.
One Blackhawk that hasn’t found much success versus the Kraken? Connor Bedard, who has yet to record a point in the four games he’s played against them. Bedard has only one assist during Chicago’s slump and has just three points in eight games this month. It appears the real threat at present is former Kraken Ryan Donato with 22 points in his last 16 games– he was kept off the scoresheet completely twice in that span.
Game Preview
Seattle isn’t dealing with any injuries right now, and after taking one of the best teams in the league to overtime on Sunday, forward lines and defensive pairings will probably stay the same. That is, unless Dan Bylsma decides Ryker Evans needs to watch another game from the press box after defensive lapses on his part contributed to both of Winnipeg’s goals in regulation. He’d been scratched against Utah due to a similarly weak performance against Montreal.
The head coach “reserved comment” on Evans’ performance post-game Sunday.
“For every player there’s some plays in the game that you do well and some plays you want back… I like a lot of what we did tonight. I like a lot of what he did tonight. There’s always room for improvement.”