Deprecated: Automatic conversion of false to array is deprecated in /var/www/hockeybuzz.com/classes/clsBlog.php on line 243 HockeyBuzz.com - Zach Jarom - Game Day: Hawks vs Habs
Coming off one of the better performances of the year against the Avalanche, the Hawks welcome the Montreal Canadiens to the United Center. Original Six match ups are always a fun time to watch and with the holidays just around the corner, the vibes seem to be positive. These teams met last October and saw Montreal take the 3-2 victory after the Hawks made a last-minute push in the third to tie things up. Something to keep an eye on as well is that Tinordi looks to be drawing back into the lineup tonight, so one has to wonder if he will have to answer the bell for his hit on Kirby Dach that ended the young forwards season before it could even really get going. Montreal comes into this one with a 4-3-3 record over the last ten games, and they are in the second half of their back-to-back which saw them lose in overtime to the Minnesota Wild.
The Hawks are hoping to put together another effort like they did against the Avalanche. This team played its best game of the season against a very good team. There was lots to like, including Blackwell making his debut and leading all skaters with six hits. He took Joey Anderson's spot in the lineup, and I think he did a good job at trying to match his energy. Blackwell is a nice depth piece for this team, so here to hoping he can stay healthy long term. Another impressive night was for Lukas Reichel. To say he has been struggling would be a gross understatement, but he was able to find the back of the net with a nice shot from a very nice play from Bedard. Let's hope that’s going to help him find some of his confidence so he can take steps forward to getting to the level we had hoped to see him at this season.
Projected Line Up
Blackhawks lines in morning skate vs Canadiens. Change from before: Tinordi-Crevier are IN and Roos-Kaiser are OUT.
Saying it is great to see Korchinski back in the lineup would be a gross understatement. It is great to see him able to get back out there and hopefully distract himself for a little bit from what he is dealing with off-ice. Starting off as the third pairing is the right move to ease him back into things, but don’t be surprised if he makes the move to one of the other two pairings sooner than later.
Coach Richardson stated that they will continue to run a 5-forward first power play unit for the time being. Once Korchinski gets back into the swing of things, he could find his way back to that spot on the PP.
Mrazek will get the nod in the net as his stellar season continues. He stopped 35 of 37 shots for a.946 save percentage against the average on Tuesday. He improved to 8-10 on the season and now has a.910 save percentage on the season, and you can just tell he is playing with confidence and that he is finally really healthy for the first time in a long time.
Puck Drop is in about an hour here in Chicago, so sit back and enjoy the game, and as always, let's go Hawks.
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