On Wednesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks found a way to win a hockey game that they didn't play particularly well in. After being dominated for 40 minutes, Tyler Bertuzzi's hat trick sparked the big win after Spencer Knight gave them a chance.
Now, they are back in Alberta to take on the Calgary Flames. After taking three out of a possible eight points to start the six-game road trip, there is still time to salvage more.
Although the road trip hasn't been exactly perfect, this is still a great start to the season for Chicago. At 6-5-3, they are right in the mix and one of only six teams in the Western Conference with a positive goal differential.
Blackhawks Are 1 of 6 Teams in West With Positive Goal DifferentialThe Eastern Conference seems easier at the moment than the Western Conference, which gives the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks">Chicago Blackhawks</a>, who have taken a nice step forward, some hope early in the season.
Scouting Calgary
The Calgary Flames are the worst team in the NHL when it comes to the standings. After a surprisingly good season in 2024-25, they have fallen way back. At 4-9-2 for 10 points, they are the only team in the NHL with a points percentage below .400 entering play on Friday.
Zary - Kadri - Farabee
Huberdeau - Frost - Coronato
Honzek - Backlund - Coleman
Lomberg - Sharangovich - Klapka
Hanley - Weegar
Bahl - Andersson
Pachal - Parekh
Wolf
With Nazem Kadri, Morgan Frost, Mikael Backlund, and Yegor Sharangovich, they aren't all that bad down the middle of the ice. It is the lack of depth everywhere else that has them in last place.
Dustin Wolf, who was the Calder Trophy runner-up in 2024-25, has not been playing nearly as well this year. That is also a big reason why the Flames are where they are in the standings.
Kevin Bahl took a maintenance day during the morning skate and Yan Kuznetsov went in his place on the second pair, but Bahl is expected to play.
Projected Blackhawks Lines, Defense Pairs, and Starting Goalie
The Blackhawks, for every game but two, have run a lineup that consists of 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. That is likely to continue in this one.
Greene - Bedard - Burakovsky
Teravainen - Nazar - Bertuzzi
Moore - Donato - Mikheyev
Dach - Foligno
Vlasic - Rinzel
Kaiser - Levshunov
Grzelcyk - Murphy
Crevier
Knight
If the Blackhawks do go with 11/7 again, Sam Lafferty is likely to be the healthy scratch. With Oliver Moore looking good as a part of the everyday roster, the path to consistent playing time gets harder and harder for Lafferty.
Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi are both coming off big games which helped them beat the Canucks. For Bertuzzi, it was a hat trick. For Bedard, it was another multi-point performance which extended his point streak to six games.
Of the seven defensemen dressed, all but two (Connor Murphy and Matt Grzelcyk) are very young. Head coach Jeff Blashill believes that this strategy helps all of them, including the veterans.
Spencer Knight was in the starters crease during the morning skate, so he is the projected starting goalie for Chicago. Knight's year is going very well. If he keeps this up, Team USA might come knocking on his door for an Olympic spot.
How To Watch
Viewers in the Chicagoland area can find the game on CHSN. It can also be heard on the radio via AM 720 WGN. National viewers can find it on ESPN+ in the United States and Sportsnet West in Canada. The puck will drop shortly after 8 PM CT.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.