The Chicago Blackhawks (5-3-2) kick off their six-game road trip with a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets (7-3-0) at Canada Life Centre on Thursday night.
Thursday’s game marks the first time that Jonathan Toews, the long-time captain of the Blackhawks and leader of the team for three Stanley Cup championships, is set to play against his former team since returning to the NHL. After sitting out for the entire 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Toews announced his comeback and signed a one-year contract with his hometown team this past summer. Through his first ten games with the Jets, Toews has tallied 5 points (2G, 3A) and is second in the league in faceoff-win percentage (64.1%).
In his career with the Blackhawks, Toews posted 883 points (372G, 511A) in 1,067 regular-season games. He won the Conn Smyth Trophy (Playoff MVP) in 2010, the Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward) in 2013, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award (Best Leader) in 2015, while also being named an All-Star six times. Simply put, Toews is one of the best and most impactful players in the 100-year history of the Blackhawks.
Last time out, the Blackhawks earned their fifth win in a seven-game stretch, as they defeated the Ottawa Senators 7-3 at the United Center on Tuesday. Connor Bedard led the way with his first NHL hat trick, while Frank Nazar (1G, 1A), Andre Burakovsky (2A), Nick Foligno (2A), and Louis Crevier (1G, 1A) all netted two points. Spencer Knight also stopped 21 of 24 shots faced to earn the win in net for the fourth time in his past five outings.
Bedard scored his 50th career NHL goal during his standout performance on Tuesday, becoming just the seventh player in franchise history to accomplish the feat before turning 21 years old. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick also became the third-youngest player to record a hat trick for the Blackhawks, trailing only Jeremy Roenick and Alex DeBrincat. Bedard now leads the team with 12 points and is tied for the team lead with six goals through ten games.
The Jets are off to another terrific start to their season, as they’ve won seven of their opening ten games and currently sit in third place in a stacked Central Division. Winnipeg defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in their most recent outing on Tuesday, with Kyle Connor scoring the overtime winner. Mark Scheifele (2A), the team’s leading scorer, and Logan Stanley (2A) each tallied two points.
Defense and goaltending have once again remained as strong suits for the Jets so far this year, as the team ranks third in the NHL with 2.50 goals allowed per game. The Jets also have the best team save percentage in the league (.920), as both Eric Comrie and Connor Hellebuyck are off to tremendous starts.
The Blackhawks are coming off a seven-goal output against Ottawa, but they’re facing a much better defensive group on Thursday. It should be a sturdy test for the Hawks’ offense.
Here’s everything to note before puck drops at 7:00 p.m. CT in Winnipeg.
Blackhawks Regular Season Notes (Last Five Games)
Tyler Bertuzzi’s late goal that was waived off for goaltender interference got all the attention, but the Blackhawks’ sloppy second period was what cost them in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Canucks.
Connor Bedard wouldn’t be denied in overtime, as he set up Ryan Donato for the game-winning goal to beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1. Here are 10 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ third win in their last four games.
Another game, another game-winning goal for Ryan Donato. The Blackhawks scored with under a minute remaining in the third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning to earn their fourth win in the last five games.
The Blackhawks’ five-game point streak ended in a sleepy 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Connor Bedard scored early to give Chicago the lead, but Los Angeles responded with three unanswered goals over the final two periods.
Connor Bedard has taken his game to another level so far in his third NHL campaign. Bedard scored his first NHL hat trick & potted his 50th career goal to lead the Blackhawks to a 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Projected Blackhawks Lineup
Forward Lines
Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard — Andre Burakovsky
Teuvo Teravainen — Frank Nazar — Tyler Bertuzzi
Ryan Donato — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev*
Colton Dach — Nick Foligno — Sam Lafferty*
Defensive Pairings
Alex Vlasic-Sam Rinzel
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy
Louis Crevier
Scratched
F — Landon Slaggert*, One Additional Forward
Injured
G — Laurent Brossoit (hip), F — Ilya Mikheyev (upper body)*
***
Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill didn’t tip his hand in terms of the lineup during the morning skate. There were 13 forwards and seven defensemen on the ice on Thursday morning, and they all participated in line rushes.
One of the forwards participating was Ilya Mikheyev, who missed Tuesday’s win over Ottawa with an upper-body injury. Mikheyev’s status remains in question versus Winnipeg, but should he return, he’s expected to skate on the third line with Donato and Dickinson.
Slaggert skated as the 13th forward at the morning skate, which likely foreshadows that he’ll be healthy scratched for a second consecutive contest.
Lafferty, who returned to the lineup on Tuesday for the first time since the home opener on October 11th, skated on the fourth line with Dach and Foligno. If Mikheyev returns, he’s the likely candidate to be the second healthy scratch against the Jets.
Projected Jets Lineup
Forward Lines
Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Gabriel Vilardi
Vladislav Namestnikov — Jonathan Toews — Alex Iafallo
Nino Niederreiter — Morgan Barron — Gustav Nyquist
Cole Koepke — Parker Ford — Tanner Pearson
Defensive Pairings
Josh Morrissey — Dylan DeMelo
Logan Stanley — Neal Pionk
Haydn Fleury — Luke Schenn
Scratched
F — Nikita Chibrikov, F — Brad Lambert, D — Colin Miller
Injured
F — Adam Lowry (hip), F — Cole Perfetti (ankle), D — Dylan Samberg (wrist)
Goaltending Matchup
Spencer Knight (4-2-1, 2.11 GAA, .930 Sv%, 0 SO) vs. Connor Hellebuyck (5-3-0, 2.26 GAA, .926 Sv%, 0 SO)
Hellebuyck was in the starter’s net during the morning skate and is expected to make his ninth start of the season for the Jets. He stopped 32 of 35 shots faced to earn the win in his last appearance in Minnesota on Tuesday. Hellebuyck is 20-7-1 with a 2.25 GAA, .923 Sv%, and two shutouts in 28 career games against Chicago.
Knight is set to make his eighth start of the season in net for the Blackhawks. In his last outing, the 24-year-old netminder stopped 21 of 24 shots to earn his fourth win of the year. Knight recorded 38 saves in the Hawks’ 5-4 shootout loss to the Jets on April 12th, 2025, in the penultimate game of the 2024-25 regular season.
2024-25 Results vs. Jets
The Blackhawks dropped all three meetings with the Jets in the 2024-25 season, but they did earn two points with a pair of overtime losses. Winnipeg has dominated Chicago in recent years, winning 20 of the past 25 matchups, dating back to April 2018.
10/11/24 — 2-1 OTL, Canada Life Centre
12/07/25 — 4-2 L, United Center
04/12/25 — 5-4 SOL, United Center
2025-26 Team Stats
Chicago Blackhawks:
Goals — Connor Bedard & Ryan Donato (6)
Assists — Teuvo Teravainen (7)
Points — Connor Bedard (12)
GF/GP — 3.30 (15th)
GA/GP — 2.50 (3rd)
PP% — 18.2% (21st)
PK% — 86.4% (8th)
FOW% — 47.6% (24th)
Winnipeg Jets:
Goals — Mark Scheifele (8)
Assists — Josh Morrisey (8)
Points — Mark Scheifele (15)
GF/GP — 3.40 (13th)
GA/GP — 2.50 (3rd)
PP% — 27.3% (8th)
PK% — 90.5% (2nd)
FOW% — 53.3% (6th)
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Chicago Blackhawks (5-3-2, 12 points) @ Winnipeg Jets (7-3-0, 14 points)
7:00 p.m. CT — Canada Life Centre
Head Coaches — Jeff Blashill (CHI), Scott Arniel (WPG)
TV/Stream: CHSN (Ball/Granato), TSN3
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Fraser)
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