The Chicago Blackhawks return to action at the United Center on Friday night in hopes of winning a third preseason game for the first time since 2021-22. It’s the second and final matchup of the preseason between the Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild, with Frank Nazar recording a hat trick in the first meeting to lead the way in a 4-1 victory.
With only four days remaining until the 2025-26 regular season begins, the Blackhawks are icing most of their projected NHL lineup for the third consecutive exhibition contest. That will likely change for the preseason finale on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, as many AHL players are expected to be recalled for the back end of the weekend back-to-back.
Connor Bedard, Ryan Donato, Frank Nazar, and Tyler Bertuzzi headline the Blackhawks’ top-six forward group for the third straight game. Landon Slaggert is set to make his preseason debut on the third line after missing most of training camp due to a back injury and an illness.
Sam Rinzel, Wyatt Kaiser, and Artyom Levshunov are part of the Blackhawks’ blue line and will each make their fourth appearance of the preseason. Connor Murphy, Nolan Allan, and Matt Grzelcyk are all in the lineup for the third time.
Spencer Knight is set to make his third start of the preseason in net. Knight stopped 16 of the 19 shots that he faced in his most recent outing on Tuesday against the Red Wings. Arvid Soderblom, expected to be Knight’s back up this year, will likely get the nod on Saturday vs. St. Louis.
Here’s everything to note before the puck drops in Chicago at 7 p.m. CT.
Blackhawks Preseason Notes
The Blackhawks opened the preseason with a lackluster 3-2 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday, September 23rd, at Little Caesars Arena. Connor Bedard and Wyatt Kaiser were the goal scorers for Chicago.
After falling behind 2-0, the Blackhawks scored four unanswered goals in the third period to earn their first preseason win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, September 27th. That was fun.
Frank Nazar recorded a hat trick in the Blackhawks’ 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, September 28th. Big things are in store for Nazar in his first full NHL campaign.
In the preseason home opener at the United Center on Tuesday, September 30th, the Blackhawks fell 3-1 to the Red Wings, despite leading in most major categories. Those pesky Red Wings are responsible for both of the Hawks’ preseason defeats.
The Blackhawks’ final preseason game is scheduled for Saturday, October 4th, against the Blues.
2024-25 Results vs. Wild
10/01/24 7-2 L, Grand Casino Arena (Preseason)
10/04/24 6-1 L, United Center (Preseason)
11/10/24 2-1 OTW, United Center
11/29/24 3-2 L, Grand Casino Arena
12/23/24 4-3 L, Grand Casino Arena
01/26/25 4-2 L, United Center
Projected Blackhawks Lineup
FORWARD LINES
Ryan Donato-Connor Bedard-Andre Burakovsky
Teuvo Teravainen-Frank Nazar-Tyler Bertuzzi
Landon Slaggert-Jason Dickinson-Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach-Nick Foligno-Sam Lafferty
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS
Matt Grzelcyk-Sam Rinzel
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Nolan Allan-Connor Murphy
GOALTENDERS
Spencer Knight
Arvid Soderblom
***
The Blackhawks’ top two forward lines have remained unchanged throughout training camp and the preseason, but the bottom six has been jumbled up a bunch. Slaggert gets his first game action on Friday alongside Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev, and he could need a strong showing to hold onto that spot when the season opener rolls around next Tuesday.
Colton Dach and captain Nick Foligno remain together on the fourth line, but Sam Lafferty jumps into the right-wing spot after being out of the lineup on Tuesday. Dach and Foligno are NHL lineup locks, but the same can’t be said for Lafferty. Whether he’ll be part of the opening-night lineup or utilized as an extra forward remains undetermined. How well he fares this evening could provide the answer.
Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene, both knocking on the door for NHL roster spots, are scratched for the first time in the preseason. Lukas Reichel will also be out of the lineup for the third straight game.
Defensively, Grzelcyk gets another opportunity with Rinzel on the top pairing. Still on a PTO with the Blackhawks, Grzelcyk hasn’t been very noticeable through his first two preseason games. It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll receive an NHL contract from Chicago at this point.
Allan will be paired with Murphy on the third defensive pairing, and it’s certainly notable that Ethan Del Mastro won’t be part of the lineup. EDM has struggled for the most part during the preseason, while Allan had a standout performance last time he played against the Wild. It’s likely down to those two players for the final left-handed defenseman spot on the NHL roster, and it appears that Allan has the edge at the moment. We’ll see if the 2021 first-round pick can take advantage of the opportunity in what’s expected to be his final preseason contest.
PROJECTED WILD LINEUP
The Wild announced on Tuesday afternoon that they will not practice or hold a media session before traveling to Chicago. With that being the case, the lineup for their preseason finale is still unknown.
The #mnwild will not practice or hold media availability tomorrow prior to traveling to Chicago for its preseason game against the Blackhawks at 7:00 p.m.
— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) October 2, 2025
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Minnesota Wild (2-2-1) @ Chicago Blackhawks (2-2-0 Preseason)
7 p.m. CT — United Center
TV/Stream: CHSN+, CHSN App, FDSNNO, Blackhawks team website, ESPN+ (outside Blackhawks & Wild broadcast areas)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
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