The Chicago Blackhawks (12-9-6) remain in Los Angeles and face off with the Kings (12-8-7) for the second time in three days at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night.
Last time out, the Blackhawks held off a late push from the Kings to win 2-1 on Thursday. Connor Bedard opened the scoring with his 18th goal of the season, and Wyatt Kaiser netted the game-winner for his first tally this year. Spencer Knight stopped 26 of 27 shots faced to earn his ninth win of the season in net.
Chicago now sits in the second wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference with 30 points through 27 games. They’re in fifth place in the Central Division, behind the Colorado Avalanche (44 points), Dallas Stars (43 points), Minnesota Wild (35 points), and Utah Mammoth (31 points). The Central is stacked yet again.
The Kings only scored once in Thursday’s contest, with Trevor Moore finding the back of the net near the midway point of the third period. Darcy Kuemper stood tall to give his team a chance, stopping 34 of 36 shots in the loss.
Los Angeles remains in third place in the Pacific Division with 31 points through 27 games. The Kings are four points back of the first-place Anaheim Ducks and three points behind the second-place Vegas Golden Knights.
Here’s everything to note before puck drops at 8:00 p.m. CT in Los Angeles.
Blackhawks Regular Season Notes (Last Five Games)
Another red-hot Central Division opponent, the Minnesota Wild, came into the United Center on Wednesday. Similar to Sunday, the Blackhawks outplayed the Wild for most of the night, but their losing streak was extended to four games with a 4-3 overtime loss.
The losing streak has reached five games after another one-goal loss on home ice to a Central Division opponent. The Blackhawks lost 4-3 to the last-place Nashville Predators. It’s been a dreadful start to the four-game homestand.
Connor Bedard exploded for his third four-point performance of the season to lift the Blackhawks to a 5-3 comeback victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Finally, the losing streak has ended.
For the fourth time in the last seven games, the Blackhawks squandered a third-period lead and lost by one goal. Some tough luck in Sin City also played a part in the 4-3 shootout defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights. Chicago is now 1-6 in overtime this season.
It got dicey towards the end, but the Blackhawks held off a late push from the Los Angeles Kings in a 2-1 win. Connor Bedard scored once again, while Spencer Knight had another lofty performance in goal.
Projected Blackhawks Lineup
Forward Lines
Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky
Tyler Bertuzzi — Frank Nazar — Oliver Moore
Teuvo Teravainen* — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach — Ryan Donato
Defensive Pairings
Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy
Sam Rinzel
Scratched
F — Sam Lafferty, F — Landon Slaggert
Injured
F — Nick Foligno (hand), F — Teuvo Teravainen (face)*
***
The Blackhawks did not hold a morning skate on Saturday. Teuvo Teravainen is questionable to play after taking a puck to the face in Thursday’s matchup. If he doesn’t play, Landon Slaggert would likely draw into the lineup.
Kings Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Alex Laferriere — Anze Kopitar — Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala — Quinton Byfield — Joel Armia
Warren Foegele — Phillip Danault — Trevor Moore
Andrei Kuzmenko — Alex Turcotte — Corey Perry
Defensive Pairings
Brandt Clarke-Drew Doughty
Mikey Anderson-Joel Edmundson
Brian Dumoulin-Cody Ceci
Scratched
F — Samuel Helenius, F — Jeff Malott, D — Jacob Moverare
Injured
None
***
Projected Goaltending Matchup
Arvid Soderblom (3-4-1, 3.53 GAA, .879 Sv%, 0 SO) vs. Darcy Kuemper (8-6-5, 2.35 GAA, .910 Sv%, 1 SO)
Chicago’s starting goaltender is unconfirmed, however, Arvid Soderblom is likely to make his ninth start of the season. Spencer Knight is 5-0-0 in five career games against the Anaheim Ducks, whom the Blackhawks face on Sunday in the back end of the back-to-back. That likely sets up Soderblom to be in between the pipes against Los Angeles. The 26-year-old netminder is 1-2-1 with a 3.71 GAA and .883 Sv% in four career games versus the Kings.
Kuemper is expected to make his 20th start of the season in goal for the Kings. The 35-year-old stopped 34 of 36 shots faced in Thursday’s 2-1 loss. Kuemper is 9-4-2 with a 2.31 GAA, .918 Sv%, and one shutout in 16 career games against Chicago.
2025-26 Results vs. Kings
Saturday marks the third and final meeting between the Blackhawks and Kings in 2025-26. Chicago has earned a point in 17 of the last 22 matchups (10-5-7) against Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena.
10/26/25 — 3-1 L, United Center
12/04/25 — 2-1 W, Crypto.com Arena
12/06/25 — Crypto.com Arena
2025-26 Team Stats & Leaders
Chicago Blackhawks:
Goals — Connor Bedard (18)
Assists — Connor Bedard (27)
Points — Connor Bedard (39)
GF/GP — 3.15 (11th)
GA/GP — 2.81 (10th)
PP% — 23.2% (9th)
PK% — 85.3% (4th)
FOW% — 47.1% (27th)
Los Angeles Kings:
Goals — Kevin Fiala (10)
Assists — Quinton Byfield (15)
Points — Adrian Kempe (23)
GF/GP — 2.56 (29th)
GA/GP — 2.59 (5th)
PP% — 12.9% (32nd)
PK% — 80% (22nd)
FOW% — 49.1% (20th)
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Chicago Blackhawks (12-9-6, 30 points) @ Los Angeles Kings (12-8-7, 31 points)
8:00 p.m. CT — Crypto.com Arena
Head Coaches — Jeff Blashill (CHI), Jim Hiller (LAK)
TV/Stream: CHSN (Ball/Pang), FDSNY, KCAL
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)
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