Blackhawks Game 66: Bedard vs Celebrini, Lines, Notes & How to Watch vs Sharks

Chicago Blackhawks (29-36-9, 49 pts) @ San Jose Sharks (17-40-9, 43 pts)
9:30 pm – SAP Center
TV: CHSN (Ball/Granato)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Murray)

The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks will wrap up their three-game season series tonight. This will be the rubber match in the series, with the home team having won the first two games. Tyler Bertuzzi has a goal in each game versus the Sharks, while Connor Murphy and Connor Bedard have two assists.

Tonight will be a rare matchup with a team below the Blackhawks in the standings. The Sharks are one of the few teams that score less than the Blackhawks and allow more goals than them. The Sharks traded away many of their top veteran players, including Jake Walman and Mikael Granlund, so the season series is there for the taking.

If staying up late to watch the two worst teams in the NHL doesn’t excite you, watching the two most recent No. 1 overall picks play each other for the first time should. Macklin Celebrini missed both games in October with an injury, so tonight will be his first head-to-head battle with his good friend Bedard.

“He’s a dynamic player,” Bedard said of Celebrini yesterday. “I know coming in as an 18-year-old is tough, and obviously, it’s a good league, so I’m glad to see his production. His impact on games has been awesome. It’s been fun to watch.”

These two dynamic teenagers are good friends, but they know they will be compared to each other for the rest of their careers. With the Blackhawks and Sharks on similar trajectories, the NHL would love these two to spark a rivalry and become the new generation’s Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.

“For sure. It’s going to be great,” Celebrini told Tracey Myers. “Them and us, we have a way to go before it’s a high-level rivalry where we’re both in a playoff spot, and maybe we face each other in the playoffs. Both of our franchises need a little bit of time to get there. But I mean, I think what they’re doing is great, and we have a plan to turn this around soon. Hopefully soon, that becomes that.”

Joe Veleno is expected to play tonight after missing Wednesday’s practice due to illness. Defenseman Alec Martinez missed most of Monday’s game after blocking a shot with his arm, but he will be back on the ice tonight. Goaltender Spencer Knight will make back-to-back starts for the first time with the Blackhawks.

Season Series

10/17 4-2 vs SJS
10/31 2-3 @ SJS
3/13 @ SJS

Blackhawks Team Leaders

G-Ryan Donato (23)
A-Teuvo Teravainen/Connor Bedard (35)
P-Bedard (52)
PPG-Bertuzzi (8)
GWG-Bedard (5)
SOG-Bedard (157)
PIM-Pat Maroon (76)

Sharks Team Leaders

G-Tyler Toffoli (24)
A-William Eklund (34)
P-Eklund/Macklin Celebrini (48)
PPG-Celebrini (7)
GWG-Celebrini (4)
SOG-Celebrini (188)
PIM-Barclay Goodrow (59)

Blackhawks Team Stats

GF/G-2.72 (25^th)
GA/G-3.46 (29^th)
PP%-25.0 (7^th)
PK%-81.2 (11^th)
SOG/G-24.4 (32^nd)
SA/G-32.3 (32^nd)
FO%-44.6 (31^st)
PIM/G-8:29 (19^th)

Sharks Team Stats

GF/G-2.61 (31^st)
GA/G-3.70 (32^nd)
PP%-19.8 (22^nd)
PK%-73.7 (28^th)
SOG/G-27.2 (27^th)
SA/G-31.9 (31^st)
FO%-48.4 (25^th)
PIM/G-8:34 (20^th)

Blackhawks Probable Lines

Forwards
Colton Dach-Connor Bedard-Jason Dickinson
Teuvo Teravainen-Ryan Donato-Ilya Mikheyev
Landon Slaggert-Frank Nazar-Nick Foligno
Lukas Reichel-Joe Veleno-Tyler Bertuzzi

Defensemen
Ethan Del Mastro-Connor Murphy
Alex Vlasic-Wyatt Kaiser
Alec Martinez-Artyom Levshunov

Scratched
D-T.J. Brodie, F-Philipp Kurashev, D-Louis Crevier, F-Pat Maroon

Injured
G-Laurent Brossoit (knee)

Sharks Probable Lines

Forwards
William Eklund-Macklin Celebrini-Tyler Toffoli
Collin Graf-Alex Wennberg-Will Smith
Nikolai Kovalenko-Ty Dellandrea-Klim Kostin
Noah Gregor-Patrick Giles-Barclay Goodrow

Defensemen
Mario Ferraro-Shakir Mukhamadullin
Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Timothy Liljegren
Jimmy Schuldt-Vincent Desharnais

Scratched
F-Carl Grundstrom,

Injured
D-Henry Thrun (upper body), D-Jan Rutta (lower body), F-Logan Couture (groin)

Goaltending Matchup

Spencer Knight (14-9-1, .912 SV%, 2.35 GAA, 2 SO) vs Alexander Georgiev (12-22-1, .874 SV%, 3.64 GAA, 0 SO)