The Chicago Blackhawks (19-21-7) continue their four-game homestand and face off with the Boston Bruins (27-19-2) in an Original Six matchup at the United Center on Saturday.
It’s the second and final meeting between the two teams in the 2025-26 season, with the Bruins winning the first matchup 4-3 in overtime at TD Garden back on Oct. 9. Connor Bedard (1G, 1A) and Andre Burakovsky (1G, 1A) each recorded two points, while Louis Crevier also found the back of the net. Casey Mittelstadt, Tanner Jeannot, and Elias Lindholm (PP) were the goal scorers for Boston in regulation. Fraser Minten was the overtime hero for the Bruins.
Last time out, the Blackhawks dropped a second consecutive game on home ice, falling 3-1 to the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Captain Nick Foligno opened the scoring less than three minutes in, but that was all the offense Chicago could muster up. Yegor Sharangovich (PP), Mikael Backlund (SH), and Matt Coronato (EN) rattled off three unanswered goals for Calgary. Spencer Knight stopped 20 of 22 shots faced in the loss.
With three losses now in their last four games, the Blackhawks have dropped to the fourth-worst team in the Western Conference and sit six points back of the San Jose Sharks for the final wildcard playoff spot. Chicago has 45 points through 47 games this season.
The Bruins are coming off a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken in their last time out on Thursday. Marat Khusnutdinov, Viktor Arvidsson, Mark Kastelic (SHG), and David Pastrnak (PPG) were the goal scorers in the game for Boston. Jeremy Swayman was named the No. 1 star of the game with 26 saves in net.
With 56 points through 48 games, the Bruins currently sit in the final wildcard playoff position in the Eastern Conference. It’s been a red-hot start to 2026 for Boston, with a 6-1-0 record in seven games since the beginning of the New Year.
Here’s everything to note before the puck drops at 7:00 p.m. CT in Chicago.
Blackhawks Regular Season Notes (Last Five Games)
What a complete team win! Seven different players scored a goal, and 13 recorded a point in a 7-3 beatdown over the St. Louis Blues. Both special teams units were also spectacular as the Blackhawks’ winning streak reached four games.
Connor Bedard was back, but the Blackhawks were still stretched remarkably thin against the Washington Capitals. An illness/flu bug swept through the locker room, leaving several players unavailable. Chicago couldn’t extend the winning streak and fell 5-1 to the Capitals for their first loss of 2026.
Without Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom, Drew Commesso filled in for the second time in as many nights and had a career performance. Commesso stopped all 36 shots faced for his first NHL shutout, which moved the Blackhawks to 5-1-1 in 2026 after a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators.
Just when it seemed like the Blackhawks were getting back to full health, Connor Bedard was the latest player to fall victim to the illness that’s been going around the team. Bedard was a late scratch and missed the matchup with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, which ended with a 4-1 loss for Chicago.
Connor Bedard was back (again), but the Blackhawks’ offense still struggled mightily against the Calgary Flames. The special-teams department also had a rare off-night, giving up a power-play goal and a short-handed tally in a 3-1 loss.
Blackhawks Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky
Tyler Bertuzzi — Jason Dickinson* — Ilya Mikheyev
Ryan Donato — Oliver Moore — Nick Lardis
Colton Dach — Nick Foligno — Landon Slaggert
Defensive Pairings
Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy
Scratched
F — Sam Lafferty
Injured
F — Frank Nazar (face), F — Teuvo Teravainen (upper body)
***
Teuvo Teravainen was not on the ice for the morning skate and will miss a second consecutive game with an upper-body injury.
Jason Dickinson participated in the morning skate but exited early after apparently suffering an injury. Should Dickinson not be able to play against Boston, Sam Lafferty will draw into the lineup for the first time since Dec. 28.
Bruins Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Marat Khusnutdinov — Elias Lindholm — David Pastrnak
Casey Mittelstadt — Pavel Zacha — Viktor Arvidsson
Alex Steeves — Fraser Minten — Morgan Geekie
Tanner Jeannot — Sean Kuraly — Mark Kastelic
Defensive Pairings
Jonathan Aspirot-Charlie McAvoy
Nikita Zadorov-Henri Jokiharju
Mason Lohrei-Andrew Peeke
Scratched
F — Michael Eyssimont, D — Vladislav Kolyachonok, F — Jeffrey Viel
Injured
D — Hampus Lindholm (undisclosed), D — Jordan Harris (ankle)
Projected Goaltending Matchup
Arvid Soderblom (5-7-1, 3.87 GAA, .873 Sv%, 0 SO) vs. Jeremy Swayman (19-11-2, 2.77 GAA, .906 Sv%, 1 SO)
Soderblom will make his 14th start of the season for the Blackhawks. The 26-year-old stopped 13 of 15 shots faced to earn the win over the Vegas Golden Knights in his most recent start on Jan. 4. Soderblom is 1-1-1 with a 2.66 GAA and .918 Sv% in three career games against Boston.
Swayman is expected to make his 33rd start of the season for the Bruins. The 27-year-old netminder stopped 26 of 28 shots faced to record the win over the Kraken on Thursday. Swayman is 4-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA, .907 Sv%, and one shutout in five career games against Chicago.
2025-26 Schedule/Results vs. Bruins
10/09/25 — 4-3 OTL, TD Garden
01/17/26 — United Center
2025-26 Team Stats & Leaders
Chicago Blackhawks:
Goals — Tyler Bertuzzi (24)
Assists — Connor Bedard (27)
Points — Connor Bedard (46)
GF/GP — 2.74 (25th)
GA/GP — 3.11 (19th)
PP% — 22.2% (12th)
PK% — 85% (2nd)
FOW% — 47.2% (26th)
Boston Bruins:
Goals — Morgan Geekie (25)
Assists — David Pastrnak (37)
Points — David Pastrnak (57)
GF/GP — 3.27 (9th)
GA/GP — 3.06 (16th)
PP% — 24.6% (6th)
PK% — 78.8% (19th)
FOW% — 52.3% (5th)
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Boston Bruins (27-19-2, 56 points) @ Chicago Blackhawks (19-21-7, 45 points)
7:00 p.m. CT — United Center
Head Coaches: Marco Sturm (BOS), Jeff Blashill (CHI)
TV/Stream: CHSN (Ball/Pang), NESN
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)
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