The Chicago Blackhawks cap off a back-to-back set of weekend games on Sunday afternoon when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center. On Saturday, Chicago (20-41-9) lost 4-1 in St. Louis, while Philadelphia (28-34-9) fell 3-2 in overtime at Dallas.
The Blackhawks have not had many good moments this season. They have struggled especially recently, going winless in seven consecutive games during an 0-6-1 stretch entering Sunday.
The Hawks sit in last place in the Central Division and 31st in the NHL with 49 points, ahead of only the San Jose Sharks (45 points). Meanwhile, the Flyers (65 points) aren’t feeling much better, having lost 10 of their last 12 games to fall into last place in the Metropolitan Division.
Chicago forward Colton Dach (elbow) remains out of the lineup, while goaltender Laurent Brossoit (knee) is still on injured reserve and not expected to return for the remainder of the season. Defenseman Alec Martinez (undisclosed) left Saturday’s game after taking a hard hit from Jake Neighbours and is unlikely to play Sunday.
Chicago Blackhawks projected lines tonight
Forwards:
Line 1. LW Ilya Mikheyev - C Frank Nazar - RW Connor Bedard
Line 2. LW Teuvo Teravainen - C Jason Dickinson - RW Nick Foligno
Line 3. LW Joe Veleno - C Ryan Donato - RW Tyler Bertuzzi
Line 4. LW Landon Slaggert - C Lukas Reichel - RW Pat Maroon
Defense:
Pair 1. LD Alex Vlasic - RD Wyatt Kaiser
Pair 2. LD Ethan Del Mastro - RD Connor Murphy
Pair 3. LD T.J. Brodie - RD Artyom Levshunov
Goalies:
Starter - Spencer Knight
Backup - Arvid Soderblom
Power Play:
First Unit - Tyler Bertuzzi, Ryan Donato, Teuvo Teravainen, Connor Bedard, Artyom Levshunov
Second Unit - Pat Maroon, Frank Nazar, Ilya Mikheyev, Alex Vlasic, Lukas Reichel
Penalty Kill:
First Unit - Jason Dickinson, Ilya Mikheyev, Alex Vlasic, Connor Murphy
Second Unit - Nick Foligno, Teuvo Teravainen, T.J. Brodie, Wyatt Kaiser
Odds for the Blackhawks vs. Flyers and Chicago's upcoming schedule
The Blackhawks are slight home underdogs when Philadelphia comes to town on Sunday afternoon.
According to Odds Shark, Chicago is a +127 home underdog, while Philadelphia is a -156 road favorite. If these lines hold until puck drop, a $100 wager on the Blackhawks would return $127. Conversely, a $156 bet on the Flyers would win $100.
Sunday afternoon marks the start of a five-game homestand for Chicago. The Hawks will host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night and the Utah Hockey Club next weekend.
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