Fed up with the Blackhawks’ inability to reach an agreement to broadcast CHSN locally? Can’t watch games on your TV? For the first night this season, fans will at least have the opportunity to see the Blackhawks in person. After a brutal road trip to open the year, Chicago is back at the United Center tonight to face the Sharks. The Blackhawks are bringing an entire afternoon of action, plus a few lineup changes, to tonight’s home opener.
As always, it sounds like the Blackhawks have quite a show planned to celebrate their return. The action starts at 3:30 p.m. with a live DJ and only gets better from there. Players will be welcomed on the red carpet at 5 p.m., and fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 7 p.m. for player introductions before the 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
Once the real action gets going, the Blackhawks will look a bit different than they did on the road trip, and not just because they’ll be in red sweaters. The forward lines are largely the same, but Lukas Reichel is finally back in the lineup, projected as the fourth-line center with Ryan Donato taking a seat. It sounds like he’s pretty fired up to prove himself, too.
The pressure is certainly on Reichel considering the lack of opportunities he’s gotten this season. The Blackhawks can’t afford to keep Donato out for too much longer, as he’s been excellent to start the year. But if Reichel goes out and plays “invisible hockey” for 15 minutes tonight, it’ll make Chicago’s decision easy. He’s gotten plenty of chances, especially in training camp and this year’s preseason, and hasn’t converted on too many. The cheering might be loudest for Connor Bedard tonight, but all eyes will be on how Reichel performs in a make-or-break opportunity.
Top-line defenseman Alec Martinez is also out tonight with a lower-body injury that will be evaluated this afternoon, head coach Luke Richardson said. With Martinez not in the lineup, Blackhawks fans will get a familiar sight on the temporary top pairing – Alex Vlasic and Seth Jones are reunited. Wyatt Kaiser and TJ Brodie make up the second line as Nolan Allan draws back into the lineup next to Connor Murphy.
