Corey Crawford will get the start and the Blackhawks' lines will have a very different look when they face the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center.
Not surprisingly, the Blackhawks' second line of Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane remain the same. Those three are still doing the bulk of the scoring. The top line is now Ryan Hartman and Richard Panik with Jonathan Toews while Marian Hossa goes to the third line with Vinnie Hinostroza and Tanner Kero.
As with any line changes, it's clear the Blackhawks, who are riding a two-game losing streak, aren't happy with how things have been going.
"You gotta get the message and I think everyone can compete harder, at least a little harder than we have the last few games," Toews said. "Sometimes you go through spurts when you're not playing with the most energy or firing on all cylinders. You just have to find ways to play smart and still create but still limit the chances you give up against."
Hossa said everyone else needs to help the second line.
"[There's] one line consistent on the offensive side. The other lines have a good stretches and then we have dry stretches. We're trying to find where it's no longer just one line consistent on production," Hossa said. "It's going good for a little bit but then we have a dry stretch and I don't know way, exactly. But we have to find [a solution] before the playoffs start."
Marcus Kruger did not make the trip with the Blackhawks. Coach Joel Quenneville expected Kruger to skate in Chicago on Tuesday. Quenneville added that he's going back to 12 forwards and six defensemen in tonight's game. The defensive scratch was unknown.
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Meanwhile, the Avalanche have had an awful season and now trade rumors abound for a team that could part with several players. Colorado general manager Joe Sakic told the Denver Post there were only three untouchables in the organization. Gabriel Landeskog ($5.57 million cap hit through 2020-21) and Matt Duchene ($6 million hit through 2018-19) would be coveted at the trade deadline by teams that can afford them.
This is the third meeting between these two teams. The Blackhawks beat the Avs 4-0 on Nov. 3 before the Avalanche took the Dec. 23 game 2-1. The Avalanche have been especially bad at home, going 5-15-1 at the Pepsi Center this season.
Broadcast information
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: CSN
Live stream: CSNChicago.com
Blackhawks forward lines
Ryan Hartman-Jonathan Toews-Richard Panik
Artemi Panarin-Artem Anisimov-Patrick Kane
Vinnie Hinostroza-Tanner Kero-Marian Hossa
Andrew Desjardins-Dennis Rasmussen-Nick Schmaltz
Defensive pairs
Duncan Keith-Niklas Hjalmarsson
Brian Campbell-Brent Seabrook
Michal Rozsival-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goaltender
Corey Crawford
Injuries
Marcus Kruger (right arm)
Avalanche forward lines
Mikko Rantanen-Nathan Mackinnon-Gabriel Bourque
Gabriel Landeskog-Matt Duchene-Matthew Nieto
Blake Comeau-Carl Soderberg-Jarome Iginla
Andreas Martinsen-John Mitchell-Mikhail Gregorenko
Defensive pairs
Fedor Tyutin-Tyson Barrie
Francois Beauchemin-NikitaZadorov
Patrick Wiercioch-Cody Goloubef
Goaltender
Semyon Varlamov
Injuries
Erik Johnson (broken leg)