Blackhawks Game Day
Blackhawks vs. Ducks: Quenneville’s Return, Preview, Lineups, & How To Watch
The Chicago Blackhawks (2-2-2) play their second game of the weekend when they face off with the Anaheim Ducks (2-2-0) at the United Center on Sunday night.
Last time out, the Blackhawks were unable to extend their winning streak as they fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Vancouver Canucks, who have now won the past 11 games against Chicago. Ryan Donato and Tyler Bertuzzi each scored for the second consecutive contest to put the Blackhawks ahead 2-0 early, but the Canucks rallied to come away with two points on Friday.
Despite a frustrating shootout loss, the Blackhawks have now earned points in four of their last five games entering Sunday.
Connor Bedard (2G, 4A), Frank Nazar (2G, 4A), and Teuvo Teravainen (1G, 5A) are tied for the Blackhawks’ team lead in points through the opening six games of the 2025-26 season. Bedard has recorded 11 career points in six career games against the Ducks, including a career-high five points (1G, 4A) in a 7-2 victory on March 12, 2024. Teravainen is riding a five-game point streak against Anaheim and has tallied 13 points (4G, 9A) over his last 12 games.
The Ducks kick off a five-game road trip against the Blackhawks and have won two of their opening four games this season. Anaheim last played on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes, falling 4-1 at the Honda Center. Leo Carlsson was the lone goal scorer for the Ducks on the night.
Speaking of Carlsson, the 2023 No. 2 overall pick leads the Ducks with six points (4G, 2A) on the season. Carlsson is also tied with Chris Kreider for the team lead in goals. Beckett Sennecke (2G, 2A) and Mason McTavish (4A) have each netted four points through four games.
Just like the Blackhawks, the Ducks have a new coach for the 2025-26 campaign. It’s a familiar face for Hawks fans, as Joel Quenneville, who was the head coach for Chicago’s Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013, and 2015, is now the bench boss in Anaheim. Quenneville, the second-winningest coach in NHL history, was hired by the Ducks this past summer and has been out of the league since the 2021-22 season. “Coach Q” last coached at the United Center on January 21, 2020, when he was with the Florida Panthers. He resigned as the Panthers’ head coach on October 28, 2021, after being named in an independent investigation into the Blackhawks’ 2010 scandal.
Here’s everything to note before the puck drops tonight in Chicago at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Blackhawks Regular Season Notes
- The Blackhawks began the 2025-26 regular season with a 3-2 loss to the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Frank Nazar, Teuvo Teravainen, and Tyler Bertuzzi each tallied two points in the loss.
- Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar were stymied by Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in overtime, leading to a 4-3 (OT) loss in Boston in the second game of the year. The Blackhawks let one slip out of their grasp at TD Garden.
- In the home opener at the United Center, Kaiden Guhle scored the game-winning goal with only 15 seconds left in the third period. That gave the Blackhawks three consecutive losses to begin the season.
- FINALLY, Jeff Blashill got his first win as the Blackhawks’ new head coach with a 3-1 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Monday night. Ilya Mikheyev led the way with two goals, while Spencer Knight was excellent once again in net.
- The Young & Fun Blackhawks have officially arrived. Connor Bedard & Lukas Reichel each tallied three points in a dominant 8-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. What a statement made on national television.
- Tyler Bertuzzi’s late goal that was waived off for goaltender interference got all the attention, but the Blackhawks’ sloppy second period was what cost them in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Canucks.
2024-25 Results vs. Ducks
The Blackhawks won two of the three meetings against the Ducks in the 2024-25 season. The home team came away victorious in every matchup. Chicago has also won 12 of the past 16 meetings, dating back to February 2019.
12/07/24 1-0 W, United Center
03/12/25 7-2 W, United Center
03/21/25 4-0 L, Honda Center
Projected Blackhawks Lineup
Forward Lines
Tyler Bertuzzi-Connor Bedard-Andre Burakovsky
Teuvo Teravainen-Frank Nazar-Ilya Mikheyev
Landon Slaggert-Ryan Donato-Lukas Reichel
Colton Dach-Ryan Greene-Sam Lafferty
Defensive Pairings
Alex Vlasic-Sam Rinzel
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Louis Crevier
Scratched
F — Nick Foligno*, TBD
Injured
G – Laurent Brossoit (hip), F — Jason Dickinson (upper body)
***
The Blackhawks will be without captain Nick Foligno for a third straight game, as he remains away from the club on a leave of absence. Jason Dickinson will also be out of the lineup for the second time this season as he’s dealing with a nagging injury.
Head coach Jeff Blashill stated on Saturday after practice that he intends to continue utilizing an 11-forward, seven-defensemen lineup moving forward. The likely candidate to be healthy scratched from the forward group is Sam Lafferty, as he’s been out of the lineup in each of the last three games. The Blackhawks did not have line rushes at their morning skate on Sunday, so their official lineup is still to be determined.
Ducks Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Chris Kreider-Leo Carlsson-Alex Killorn
Cutter Gauthier-Mason McTavish-Beckett Sennecke
Frank Vatrano-Mikael Granlund-Troy Terry
Ross Johnston-Ryan Poehling-Nikita Nesterenko
Defensive Pairings
Jackson Lacombe-Radko Gudas
Olen Zellweger-Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov-Drew Helleson
Scratched
F — Sam Colangelo
Injured
F — Jansen Harking (upper body), F — Ryan Strome (upper body)
GOALTENDING MATCHUP
Lukas Dostal (1-2-0, 4.00 GAA, .856 Sv%) vs. Spencer Knight (1-2-1, 2.22 GAA, .910 Sv%, 0 SO)
Knight will make his fifth start of the season in net for the Blackhawks, and he’s been tremendous in his first four outings. The 24-year-old goaltender has yet to surrender more than three goals in a game this season. Knight also has a strong track record against Anaheim, as he’s 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA, .965 Sv%, and two shutouts in three career starts.
The Ducks are likely to start Dostal on Sunday at the United Center, but their backup goaltender is former Blackhawk Petr Mrazek. Perhaps Quenneville goes with Mrazek as he makes his return to Chicago. Mrazek played with Chicago from 2022 to 2025 before getting traded to the Detroit Red Wings at last year’s deadline.
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Anaheim Ducks (2-2-0) @ Chicago Blackhawks (2-2-2)
6:00 p.m. CT — United Center
TV/Stream: CHSN (Ball/Pang), Victory +, KCOP-13
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd
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