The Chicago Blackhawks (10-8-4) continue their four-game homestand to conclude November against the Minnesota Wild (12-7-4) on Wednesday night.
Last time out, the Blackhawks were shut out for the first time this season, falling 1-0 to the Colorado Avalanche at the United Center on Sunday. In a competitive contest from start to finish, the Blackhawks couldn’t find a way to sneak a shot past Scott Wedgewood in goal for the Avs. Jason Dickinson made his return to the lineup after missing ten games and led the team with five hits. Alex Vlasic skated in his 200th career NHL game, Ilya Mikheyev appeared in his 100th game with the Blackhawks, and Spencer Knight made his 100th career start in goal.
Like the Avalanche on Sunday, the Wild are scorching hot coming into the first meeting of the season with the Blackhawks. Minnesota is 9-1-1 during November and has won five consecutive games, while also being in the midst of an eight-game point streak. The Wild are coming off a 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, which marked their fourth shutout of the month. Danila Yurov, Brock Faber, and Kirill Kaprizov tallied the three goals, while Jesper Wallstedt stopped all 32 shots faced.
Here’s everything to note before puck drops at 7:30 p.m. CT in Chicago.
Blackhawks Regular Season Notes (Last Five Games)
Clutch third-period goals from Teuvo Teravainen and Colton Dach lifted the Blackhawks to a 3-2 comeback win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the Hawks lost captain Nick Foligno in the process, as he’s set to miss an extended period with a hand injury.
For the second time in 11 days, Connor Bedard carried the Blackhawks to victory over the Calgary Flames. Bedard, who wore an “A” as an alternate captain for the first time in his NHL career, recorded his second hat trick of the season in the 5-2 win.
After leading 2-0 through two periods, the Blackhawks surrendered three unanswered goals in the third to fall 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken. A controversial penalty call also impacted the outcome at the United Center.
Well, that wasn’t very good. The Blackhawks suffered their worst loss of the season in the back end of their back-to-back, falling 9-3 to the Buffalo Sabres in embarrassing fashion. It’s the first time the Blackhawks have allowed nine goals in a game since 2011.
The Blackhawks went toe-to-toe with the NHL’s top team, the Colorado Avalanche, but still had their losing streak extended to three games. Scott Wedgewood got the better of Spencer Knight in a goaltending duel at the United Center.
Projected Blackhawks Lineup
Forward Lines
Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky*
Oliver Moore — Frank Nazar — Tyler Bertuzzi
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
G — Laurent Brossoit (hip), F — Andre Burakovsky (undisclosed)*, F — Nick Foligno (hand)
***
The Blackhawks will hold an optional morning skate on Wednesday, so their official lineup is to be determined.
Andre Burakovsky, who missed the last two games, was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice session at Fifth Third Arena. Head Coach Jeff Blashill said after practice that Burakovsky is likely a game-time decision against Minnesota. Should he return to the lineup, he is expected to play on the top line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene.
If Burakovsky doesn’t play, Tyler Bertuzzi will likely play on the top line, and Sam Lafferty will remain in the lineup. Lafferty and Slaggert would be the scratches if Burakovsky returns.
Wild Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Kirill Kaprizov — Danila Yurov — Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson — Joel Eriksson Ek — Matt Boldy
Marcus Foligno — Yakov Trenin — Nico Sturm
Liam Ohgren — Ben Jones — Tyler Pitlick
Defensive Pairings
Jonas Brodin-Brock Faber
Jake Middleton-Jared Spurgeon
Zeev Buium-Zach Bogosian
Scratched
F — Hunter Haight, D — Daemon Hunt, D — David Jiricek
Injured
F — Ryan Hartman (lower body), F — Vinnie Hinostroza (undisclosed), F — Marco Rossi (lower body), F — Vladimir Tarasenko (lower body)
Projected Goaltending Matchup
Spencer Knight (7-5-3, 2.38 GAA, .924 Sv%, 1 SO) vs. Filip Gustavsson (6-7-2, 2.79 GAA, .902 Sv%, 2 SO)
Knight is expected to make his 16th start of the season in net for the Blackhawks. The 24-year-old netminder stopped 26 of 27 shots faced in his last appearance against Colorado on Sunday. Knight has never started a game against Minnesota in his career.
Gustavsson is also expected to make his 16th start of the year for the Wild. The 27-year-old goaltender stopped all 19 shots to earn his second shutout of the season in his most recent outing on Friday. Gustavsson is 5-0-1 with a 1.83 GAA and .931 Sv% in six career starts against Chicago.
2024-25 Results vs. Wild
The Blackhawks dropped three of four meetings with the Wild in the 2024-25 campaign and have a mere 1-12-3 record in the last 16 matchups, dating back to the start of 2020. Wednesday marks the first of four games (01/27/26, 03/17/26, 03/19/26) in the 2025-26 season.
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
2025-26 Team Stats & Leaders
Chicago Blackhawks:
Goals — Connor Bedard (13)
Assists — Connor Bedard (18)
Points — Connor Bedard (31)
GF/GP — 3.14 (10th)
GA/GP — 2.77 (9th)
PP% — 24.2% (6th)
PK% — 83.3% (8th)
FOW% — 46.8% (27th)
Minnesota Wild:
Goals — Matt Boldy & Kirill Kaprizov (13)
Assists — Kirill Kaprizov (14)
Points — Kirill Kaprizov (27)
GF/GP — 2.87 (24th)
GA/GP — 2.78 (10th)
PP% — 25.6% (5th)
PK% — 75.9% (25th)
FOW% — 47.8% (24th)
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Minnesota Wild (12-7-4, 28 points) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (10-8-4, 24 points)
7:30 p.m. CT — United Center
Head Coaches — John Hynes (MIN), Jeff Blashill (CHI)
TV/Stream: ESPN+/Hulu (Buccigross/Campbell-Pascall)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Chelios)
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