The Chicago Blackhawks will be looking to build upon the momentum from their first win of the season when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, but they’ll be playing a bit shorthanded as Ryan Hartman is expected to miss the game.
That’s because Hartman took a shot off the skate in Saturday’s win over the Nashville Predators, and while he did return to the practice ice Tuesday, he wasn’t skating among the four forward lines, likely meaning that he’ll miss at least one game with the ailment.
Fortunately for the Blackhawks, they will have 12 forwards dressed for the game, as Jordin Tootoo returned to the ice after missing Monday’s workout with an illness. Tootoo skated on the fourth line with Marcus Kruger and Dennis Rasmussen, who is slotting into the lineup to replace Hartman.
Here are the full forward lines for the Blackhawks during their morning skate:
Motte – Toews – Panik
Panarin – Anisimov – Kane
Hinostroza – Schmaltz – Hossa
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Rasmussen – Kruger – Tootoo
The Blackhawks have been trying to get their offense going over the first few games of the season, and Quenneville is hoping that these lines will balance out scoring and make the Hawks harder to play against. Richard Panik had an excellent game on Saturday against the Predators, notching his first career hat trick in the victory, and he’ll be looking to help get Jonathan Toews and Tyler Motte going early in the season.
The third line is especially interesting, with Nick Schmaltz centering Marian Hossa and Vincent Hinostroza. Hossa’s offensive production has been in a steady decline in recent years, but in playing with a speedy winger in Hinostroza and a very good passing center in Schmaltz, Hossa could get some opportunities to score goals against the Flyers on Tuesday.
