The Chicago Blackhawks continue their four-game road-trip on Monday night in Colorado against the high-flying Avalanche at Ball Arena. Chicago (20-35-9) lost 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night in Nashville, while Colorado (38-24-2) picked up a 7-4 comeback win over Toronto at home on Saturday night.
It's been another terrible season for the Blackhawks. Despite picking up points in five consecutive games (3-0-2), they have just 49 points on the season.
The Hawks are last in the Central division, and 31st in the overall league standings, poised for another top-three pick in the NHL draft. Meanwhile, the Avalanche (78 points) have won five in a row, jumping ahead of Minnesota for the third seed in the Central.
Chicago forward Jason Dickinson (ankle) and goaltender Laurent Brossoit (knee) remain out of the lineup and on the IR. Brossoit is not expected to play this season, while Dickinson could return sometime this week.
Chicago Blackhawks projected lines tonight
Forwards:
Line 1. LW Colton Dach - C Connor Bedard - RW Frank Nazar
Line 2. LW Teuvo Teravainen - C Ryan Donato - RW Ilya Mikheyev
Line 3. LW Landon Slaggert - C Nick Foligno - RW Tyler Bertuzzi
Line 4. LW Pat Maroon - C Joe Veleno - RW Lukas Reichel
Defense:
Pair 1. LD Alex Vlasic - RD Louis Crevier
Pair 2. LD Ethan Del Mastro - RD Connor Murphy
Pair 3. LD Wyatt Kaiser - RD Alec Martinez
Goalies:
Starter - Spencer Knight
Backup - Arvid Soderblom
Power Play:
First Unit - Tyler Bertuzzi, Ryan Donato, Teuvo Teravainen, Connor Bedard, Alex Vlasic
Second Unit - Pat Maroon, Frank Nazar, Colton Dach, Alec Martinez, Lukas Reichel
Penalty Kill:
First Unit - Frank Nazar, Ilya Mikheyev, Alex Vlasic, Connor Murphy
Second Unit - Nick Foligno, Teuvo Teravainen, Alec Martinez, Louis Crevier
Odds for the Blackhawks vs. Avalanche and Chicago's upcoming schedule
To nobody's surprise, Chicago is a massive road underdog heading into Colorado on Monday night.
On Odds Sharks, Chicago is a whopping +375 road underdog, whereas Colorado is a -500 home favorite. Should these lines remain until the puck drop, a $100 wager on the Blackhawks could net $375. Conversely, a $500 bet on the Avs would win just $100.
Chicago remains on the road for the rest of the week, first heading to San Jose to face Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks on Thursday night. Thr Blackhawks follow it up with a Saturday night showdown in Connor Bedard's hometown of Vancouver against the Canucks.
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