After a nice long break following their win Saturday over the Nashville Predators, the Chicago Blackhawks will finally hit the ice again on Thursday, and they’ll do so with two of their key players back in the mix.
According to head coach Joel Quenneville, the Blackhawks will get defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya back for their game against the Anaheim Ducks at the United Center.
Hjalmarsson, who was placed on injured reserve with an upper body injury, has missed the Blackhawks’ last four games, but the team has kept on rolling along as they won all four contests to run their winning streak up to seven games in a row.
As for Oduya, the defenseman has not played for the Blackhawks since he was acquired in a pre-trade deadline swap. He has been skating while recovering from an ankle issue that hampered him in Dallas, but it’s now all systems go and he’ll likely be on the ice next to Hjalmarsson when the Blackhawks battle the Ducks.
Thursday’s game kicks off an intense finishing stretch to the season for the Blackhawks, as they’ll play 17 games over the final 31 days of the regular season. Puck drop for Thursday’s tilt is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
