The Blackhawks have a matinee game today versus the Red Wings and a chance to build some momentum heading into the next series versus the Predators in Nashville.
The main questions heading into Sunday's early tilt are who will be the starting goalie (more on this below) as well as who sits if Carl Soderberg makes his Hawks debut.
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Game Day
Game 6, January 24:
Blackhawks vs Red Wings
11:30am CST
Records:
Blackhawks, 1-3-1, 3 Pts
Red Wings, 2-3-0, 4 Pts
Season Series:
1-0-0
Power Play:
Blackhawks, 7-17, 41.2%
Red Wings, 1-12, 8.3%
Penalty Kill:
Blackhawks, 15-20, 75.0%
Red Wings, 12-16, 75.0%
In Friday's game, power forward Tyler Bertuzzi was a handful for the Hawks defense with his strength, persistence, and physicality. He's one to watch today.
So are fellow power forward Anthony Mantha and captain Dylan Larkin. Mantha was surprisingly quiet in the last game while Larkin was solid in all facets of the game.
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Goalie Forecast
Head coach Jeremy Colliton has claimed that there is no goalie rotation and the decision of who starts in net will be based on who is playing the best.
Without a doubt, it should be a no brainer for Kevin Lankinen to make his third consecutive start after a good NHL debut and an even better encore performance.
While the goalie intrigue has focused on who will be the starter, what is just as interesting is who the backup will be. So far it's unequivocally been Malcolm Subban.
After being the starter for the season opener, Subban has been on the bench as the backup to Collin Delia first then Lankinen next in their four collective starts.
So is it beginning to emerge that the leading candidates for the Hawks goalie tandem are Lankinen and Subban? If so, will that eventually make Delia expendable?
Keep in mind Matt Tomkins and Cale Morris are the goalie duo in Rockford. Would Delia just return to the AHL as the Hogs starter? Be trade fodder? Drafted by the Kraken?
Further down the turnpike are Hawks draft picks and NCAA freshmen tenders Dominic Basse (2019) and Drew Commesso (2020). Both are likely in college for at least two years.
Basse may need a full four years at Colorado College as a 6th rounder who has had an up and down first year. He is sporting a 3-5-1 record, 2.71 GAA, and .897 save percentage.
There are higher hopes with 2nd rounder Commesso who has come on strong after a shaky debut with Boston University. He is 4-1-0 with a 3.51 GAA and .909 save percentage.
The hope is that at least one of Lankinen, Subban, and Delia can be more than just a placeholder until Commesso is hopefully NHL ready. I wouldn't sleep on Basse either.
Could, for example, Lankinen be a reliable starter for a 5-7 year stretch until either Commesso, Basse, or another netminder enters the fold first as a backup then the starter?
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See you on the boards!
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