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Coming off their first shutout win of the season, the Avalanche are in Chicago for the second half of a back to back with hopes of extending their winning streak to nine games.
They’ll do it against a young upstart Blackhawks team that has had a solid start to their 2025-26 campaign. Under new head coach Jeff Blashill, the Hawks are playing their best hockey since before COVID. In terms of this core group, led by Connor Bedard, Artyom Levshunov, Frank Nazar, and Spencer Knight, it’s far and away the best they’ve looked. Chicago is 10-7-4 and very much in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference.
This is all true, but it’s also worth noting that the Hawks enter this matchup riding a two-game losing streak. On Thursday, they fell 3-2 to the Seattle Kraken and followed it up with an embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, losing 9-3. They’re looking to bounce back from that game in the biggest of ways.
As for the Avs, Saturday was their sloppiest performance of the season. The only reason why they walked out of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with a regulation win was because Mackenzie Blackwood put in his best game of the season. Blackwood made 35 saves, earning the Avs their first shutout of 2025-26.
Colorado will likely go back to Scott Wedgewood in this one, as it’s the second of a back to back. The Blackhawks are expected to counter with Knight, who has solidified a position for Chicago that has been in turmoil for a half decade.
The Avs will run the same lineup in front of Wedgewood as the one that dressed on Saturday. Jason Polin was called up ahead of the road trip to replace an injured Gavin Brindley on the fourth line. Gabe Landeskog was elevated back to the top six in the spot Brindley was occupying, and Parker Kelly was promoted to the third line in Landeksog’s place.
The Blackhawks are playing their third game in four nights.
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