Bold opening: The upcoming Red Wings vs. Blackhawks showdown comes with lineup twists and bruising stakes that could reshape this rivalry this season.
Red Wings at Blackhawks projected lineups
RED WINGS (17-12-3) at BLACKHAWKS (13-12-6)
8 p.m. ET; FS1, SNW
Red Wings projected lineup
Emmitt Finnie -- Dylan Larkin -- Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat -- Andrew Copp -- Patrick Kane
Elmer Soderblom -- Nate Danielson -- Marco Kasper
James van Riemsdyk -- J.T. Compher -- Michael Rasmussen
Albert Johansson -- Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot -- Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Erik Gustafsson -- Travis Hamonic
John Gibson
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Jonathan Berggren, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Simon Edvinsson
Injured: Mason Appleton (lower body)
Blackhawks projected lineup
Oliver Moore -- Frank Nazar -- Tyler Bertuzzi
Nick Lardis -- Ryan Greene -- Andre Burakovsky
Teuvo Teravainen -- Jason Dickinson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach -- Ryan Donato -- Dominic Toninato
Alex Vlasic -- Louis Crevier
Matt Grzelcyk -- Artyom Levshunov
Wyatt Kaiser -- Connor Murphy
Arvid Soderblom
Spencer Knight
Scratched: Sam Lafferty
Injured: Connor Bedard (upper body), Nick Foligno (hand)
Status report
Chicago did not hold a morning skate after a 3-2 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Friday. Bedard, a forward, sustained an upper-body injury late in the game and will not play. "He’s undergoing further evaluation, so we’ll know more in the next couple of days," Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. Lardis, a forward, was recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League on Saturday and is expected to make his NHL debut.
But here’s where it gets controversial: the Blackhawks’ forward group hinges on Bedard’s health, and if he’s sidelined, Chicago could lean harder on a youthful, unproven trio to generate offense against a veteran Detroit squad.
And this is the part most people miss: the projected lines feature several players at different career stages and roles, which means matchup strategy and line chemistry will play big roles in tonight’s tempo and scoring opportunities. Coaches may shuffle lines midgame to spark production, so stay tuned for adjustments.
Thought-provoking takeaway: with Bedard sidelined, should Chicago lean into veterans for steadier possession or push the kids to accelerate development with high-event line combinations? Share your view below: do you expect this game to tilt toward offense with more risk, or more structure and defense from both teams?
