Blackhawks Game Day
Blackhawks vs. Lightning: Blashill Faces Cooper, Preview, Lineups, & How To Watch
The Chicago Blackhawks (21-22-7) return home from Carolina and face off with the Tampa Bay Lightning (31-13-4) at the United Center for the back end of a back-to-back on Friday night.
It’s the second and final meeting of the 2025-26 season between the two teams, with the Blackhawks winning 3-2 at Benchmark International Arena on Oct. 23. Ryan Donato scored two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period, while Frank Nazar (1G, 1A) and Teuvo Teravainen (2A) each posted two points. Spencer Knight stopped 29 of 31 shots to record the win in net. Jake Guentzel and Ryan McDonagh were the two goal scorers for Tampa Bay.
Last time out, the Blackhawks pulled out a 4-3 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center on Thursday. Rookie Oliver Moore, who was celebrating his 21st Birthday, notched the shootout-winning tally and had an assist earlier in the game. Ilya Mikheyev (1G, 1A) had two points, while Nick Lardis and Connor Murphy each scored a goal. Knight made 28 saves on 31 shots faced for his 15th victory of the season.
With back-to-back wins, the Blackhawks now have 49 points through 50 games and sit just four points back of the Seattle Kraken for the final wildcard playoff spot in the Western Conference. The San Jose Sharks (53 points), Los Angeles Kings (53 points), and Nashville Predators (52 points) are the three teams ahead of Chicago that are also on the outside of the playoff picture.
The Lightning are coming off a 4-1 home win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, which extended their point streak to 14 games. Their last regulation loss came way back on Dec. 18 against the Los Angeles Kings. Brandon Hagel (2), Anthony Cirelli, and Guentzel were responsible for the four goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 of 23 shots for the 10th victory in his last 11 outings.
Tampa Bay currently sits in second place in the Atlantic Division with 66 points through 48 games, one point back of the first-place Detroit Red Wings. However, the Lightning have played four fewer games than Detroit and own the best points percentage (.688) in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s everything to note before the puck drops at 6:00 p.m. CT in Chicago.
Blackhawks Regular Season Notes (Last Five Games)
- 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.
- The Blackhawks raced out to a 2-0 lead, only to surrender five unanswered goals for a third consecutive loss. The Boston Bruins spoiled Chicago’s celebration of “The Banner Years”, as several former Stanley Cup champions were in attendance to witness the 5-2 defeat.
- It was a night to remember at the United Center, with Jonathan Toews returning for his first game in the building as a visitor. Toews’ homecoming party was spoiled by Spencer Knight, who stopped all 32 shots faced to record his third shutout of the season. Knight carried the Blackhawks to a 2-0 win over Winnipeg, which also ended the three-game losing skid.
- Oliver Moore celebrated his 21st Birthday in style, scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout to lift the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over Carolina. Moore also added an assist and got into a fight with Alexander Nikishin earlier in the game.
Blackhawks Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky
Ryan Donato — Frank Nazar — Tyler Bertuzzi
Nick Foligno — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Landon Slaggert — Oliver Moore — Nick Lardis
Defensive Pairings
Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk-Connor Murphy
Scratched
F — Colton Dach, F — Sam Lafferty
Injured
F — Teuvo Teravainen (upper body)
***
The Blackhawks did not hold a morning skate after traveling from Carolina back to Chicago late on Thursday night.
Jason Dickinson is listed as questionable after missing Thursday’s game against the Hurricanes due to an illness. Should Dickinson play, he will likely center the third line with Nick Foligno and Ilya Mikheyev.
The forward lines and defensive pairings listed above are from Wednesday’s practice session. That was expected to be the lineup in Carolina before Dickinson was announced as a late scratch.
Lightning Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Brandon Hagel — Anthony Cirelli* — Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel — Dominic James — Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgensons — Yanni Gourde — Pontus Holmberg
Oliver Bjorkstrand — Jack Finley — Nick Paul
Defensive Pairings
J.J. Moser-Darren Raddysh
Charle-Édouard D’Astous-Erik Cernak
Declan Carlile-Max Crozier
Scratched
D — Simon Lundmark
Injured
F — Anthony Cirelli (undisclosed)*, D – Victor Hedman (elbow), D — Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed), D — Ryan McDonagh (lower body), F — Brayden Point (lower body), F — Scott Sabourin (undisclosed)
***
Tampa Bay also did not hold a morning skate on Friday. Anthony Cirelli, who exited Tuesday’s game early with an undisclosed injury, has a chance to play.
Projected Goaltending Matchup
Arvid Soderblom (5-8-1, 3.97 GAA, .868 Sv%, 0 SO) vs. Andre Vasilevskiy (21-7-3, 2.18 GAA, .917 Sv%, 1 SO)
Soderblom is expected to make his 15th start of the season for the Blackhawks. The 26-year-old allowed five goals on 23 shots faced in a loss against the Boston Bruins in his most recent start on Saturday. Soderblom is 1-0-1 with a 2.49 GAA and .933 Sv% in two career games against Tampa.
Vasilevskiy is expected to make his 32nd start of the season for the Lightning. The 31-year-old former Vezina Trophy winner stopped 22 of 23 shots faced to earn the win over San Jose in his last start on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy is 13-1-0 with a 2.20 GAA, .927 Sv%, and one shutout in 14 career starts against Chicago.
2025-26 Schedule/Results vs. Lightning
10/23/25 — 3-2 W, Benchmark International Arena
01/23/26 — United Center
2025-26 Team Stats & Leaders
Chicago Blackhawks:
Goals — Tyler Bertuzzi (24)
Assists — Connor Bedard (28)
Points — Connor Bedard (48)
GF/GP — 2.72 (26th)
GA/GP — 3.08 (17th)
PP% — 21.4% (13th)
PK% — 85.1% (1st)
FOW% — 47.1% (28th)
Tampa Bay Lightning:
Goals — Brandon Hagel (25)
Assists — Nikita Kucherov (49)
Points — Nikita Kucherov (73)
GF/GP — 3.50 (2nd)
GA/GP — 2.48 (2nd)
PP% — 20.7% (14th)
PK% — 84.2% (3rd)
FOW% — 46.2% (31st)
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Tampa Bay Lightning (31-13-4, 66 points) @ Chicago Blackhawks (21-22-7, 49 points)
6:00 p.m. CT — United Center
Head Coaches: Jon Cooper (TBL), Jeff Blashill (CHI)
TV/Stream: ESPN (Wischusen/Mleczko/Hextall)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)
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