Friday Night is Alright for Hockey!

Posted 2:44 PM ET | Comments 0

Hello Blackhawk fans. Tonight, at the Madhouse on Madison the Blackhawks take on the ex-Hawks known as the Florida Panthers. The Panthers, last played on Wednesday night blowing a 3-1 third period lead in Colorado and lost in overtime 4-3 to the Avs. The Panthers are now 11-0-4 when leading after two periods. The Panthers have received a bit of good news as former Blackhawk, Jack Skille will be back in the lineup as he’s been out since December 16th with a shoulder injury. The Panthers have sorely missed his hard forechecking, his speed on the puck and his work in the corners. As the Panthers visit the Blackhawks it will be a reunion of sorts. Many of the current Blackhawks were teammates of five Florida Panthers (Versteeg, Campbell, Kopecky, Madden and Skille), as well as general manager Dale Tallon, who was the architect of the Hawks' Cup winning season.

For the Blackhawks, Razor gets the start in net tonight. I expect the lineup to change slightly with Bickell back in the lineup as it is rumored that there will be numerous scouts from various teams at tonight's game. This because teams are approaching the 50-game mark and trade talks are in full-gear. Word is, Bowman is eager to enhance his 62-point team. Only three games remain until the All-Star break and every point is valuable to the Blackhawks so picking up two points tonight is important.

Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup:
Stalberg - Toews - Kane
Hossa - Kruger - Shaw
Brunette - Bolland - Hayes
Frolik - Mayers - Bickell

D-Men:
Keith - Seabrook
Leddy - Hjalmarsson
Montador - O'Donnell

Netminder:
Razor

Odds and Ends:
- The Blackhawks have outscored their opponents in their last for home games, 20-9 winning all four.
- The Blackhawks are 4-1 on Friday night Home games.
- The Panthers are 0-3-4 in their last seven games away from home.
- Former Blackahwk, Kris Versteeg leads the Panthers with 17 goals and 39 points.

Thanks for reading.

GO HAWKS!

Scott

Filed Under: Blackhawks Panthers