Following the Christmas break, the Chicago Blackhawks (13-17-6) return to action for the front end of a weekend back-to-back against the Dallas Stars (25-7-6) at American Airlines Center on Saturday night.
It’s the first of three meetings between the Blackhawks and Stars this season, and the two teams will meet again in just five days for a matchup at the United Center on New Year’s Day.
Last time out, the Blackhawks had their losing streak extended to six games, losing 3-1 at home to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. Since Connor Bedard got injured on Nov. 12 in St. Louis, the Hawks have dropped each of their five games, all coming in regulation. They’ve also scored only eight goals without Bedard in the lineup. Ryan Donato was the lone goal scorer for Chicago in the loss to the Flyers.
It’s been a disastrous month of December so far for the Blackhawks, with a 2-8-1 record in 11 games. That’s dropped them all the way down to last place in the NHL standings, with only 32 points through 36 games.
Dallas is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Red Wings in Detroit in their last time out before the Christmas break on Tuesday. Roope Hintz, Jamie Benn, and Wyatt Johnston were responsible for the Stars’ three goals against Detroit, while backup goaltender Casey DeSmith stopped 21 of 25 shots faced. Mikko Rantanen (five games), Justin Hryckowian (four games), Miro Heiskanen (four games), Benn (four games), and Jason Robertson (three games) all extended their point streaks in the loss.
The Stars are off to a shining start to the 2025-26 season, with the second-most points (56) in the NHL through their opening 38 games. The only team with more points than Dallas is the Colorado Avalanche, with 61 points through 36 games, to sit atop the Central Division and league-wide standings. Dallas is also 8-2-2 in December.
Here’s everything to note before the puck drops at 7:00 p.m. CT in Dallas.
Blackhawks Regular Season Notes (Last Five Games)
Life without Connor Bedard isn’t so easy. In the first game without Bedard this season, the Blackhawks were shut out 4-0 by the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane combined for three of the four Red Wings’ goals in their returns to the United Center.
After leading 2-0 for most of the game, the Blackhawks surrendered three unanswered goals in the third period, including two in eight seconds, to lose 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Five minutes separated Chicago from one of its best team wins of the season.
The Blackhawks mustered up only 15 shots on goal in a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Frank Nazar finally snapped his 21-game goal drought, but that was all the offensive output Chicago generated at the Bell Centre. The losing streak has now reached four games.
From bad to worse. Not only did the Blackhawks suffer a fifth consecutive loss, but Frank Nazar also got injured early in the 6-4 defeat to the Ottawa Senators. Nazar is expected to miss approximately four weeks after taking a puck to the face in the first period.
While the losing skid hit six games, the Blackhawks put together one of their best games of the month against the Philadelphia Flyers. But without Bedard and Nazar, the offense couldn’t get enough run support to come away with a low-event win. The Flyers walked out of the United Center with a 3-1 victory.
Projected Blackhawks Lineup
Forward Lines
Tyler Bertuzzi — Ryan Greene – Andre Burakovsky
Oliver Moore — Ryan Donato — Nick Lardis
Teuvo Teravainen — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach — Dominic Toninato — Sam Lafferty
Defensive Pairings
Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier
Matt Grzelcyk-Artyom Levshunov
Wyatt Kaiser-Connor Murphy
Scratched
D — Ethan Del Mastro, F — Landon Slaggert
Injured
F — Connor Bedard (shoulder), F — Nick Foligno (hand)*, F — Frank Nazar (face)
***
The Blackhawks did not hold a morning skate on Saturday, as league rules permitted them to travel to Dallas the same day of the game. The lines and pairings listed above are from the last game before the Christmas break against Philadelphia.
There’s a chance that captain Nick Foligno makes his return to the lineup against the Stars. Foligno, who’s been out since Nov. 15 with a hand injury, joined the team for practice earlier this week. He’ll likely slot into the fourth line, should he play.
Stars Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Sam Steel — Wyatt Johnston — Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson — Roope Hintz — Mavrik Bourque
Justin Hryckowian — Matt Duchene — Jamie Benn
Oskar Back — Radek Faksa — Nathan Bastian
Defensive Pairings
Esa Lindell-Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley-Nils Lundkvist
Kyle Capobianco-Alex Petrovic
Scratched
F — Colin Blackwell, F — Adam Erne, D — Ilya Lybushkin
Injured
D — Lian Bichsel (lower body), F — Tyler Seguin (ACL)
Projected Goaltending Matchup
Spencer Knight (10-10-5, 2.55 GAA, .914 Sv%, 2 SO) vs. Jake Oettinger (16-6-2, 2.50 GAA, .910 Sv%, 2 SO)
Knight is expected to make his 26th start of the season in net for the Blackhawks. The 24-year-old netminder allowed two goals on 25 shots faced in a loss to the Flyers in his most recent outing on Tuesday. Knight is 2-2-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .894 Sv% in four career games against Dallas.
Oettinger is expected to make his 25th start of the season in net for the Stars. The 27-year-old stopped 27 of 28 shots faced in a win over the Maple Leafs in his last start on Sunday. Oettinger is 10-2-2 with a 2.29 GAA, .917 Sv%, and 1 shutout in 15 career games against Chicago.
2024-25 Results vs. Stars
10/26/24 — 4-2 L, American Airlines Center
11/07/24 — 3-1 L, American Airlines Center
11/27/24 — 6-2 W, United Center
12/29/24 — 5-1 L, United Center
2025-26 Team Stats & Leaders
Chicago Blackhawks:
Goals — Connor Bedard (19)/Tyler Bertuzzi (16)
Assists — Connor Bedard (25)/Frank Nazar (15)/Artyom Levshunov (15)
Points — Connor Bedard (44)/Tyler Bertuzzi (26)
GF/GP — 2.75 (26th)
GA/GP — 3.11 (17th)
PP% — 20.4% (14th)
PK% — 84% (4th)
FOW% — 46.5% (30th)
Dallas Stars:
Goals — Jason Robertson (23)
Assists — Mikko Rantanen (37)
Points — Mikko Rantanen (51)
GF/GP — 3.50 (2nd)
GA/GP — 2.61 (4th)
PP% — 31.6% (2nd)
PK% — 82.6% (7th)
FOW% — 52.2% (7th)
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Chicago Blackhawks (13-17-6, 32 points) @ Dallas Stars (25-7-6, 56 points)
7:00 p.m. CT — American Airlines Center
Head Coaches: Jeff Blashill (CHI), Glen Gulutzan (DAL)
TV/Stream: CHSN (Ball/Pang), Victory+
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)
For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now and like our Facebook Page.
Follow us on X: