The Chicago Blackhawks will likely be making a few changes to their lineup as they trail the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in their first round playoff series, but one change in particular is bound to surprise some fans.
That change involves defenseman David Rundblad, who appears to be returning to the lineup for Game 4 Tuesday night. The defenseman has gone through an incredible hockey odyssey this season, playing nine games with the Blackhawks before being shipped overseas to the Zurich Lions of the Swiss-A League, and after a brief stint with the Rockford IceHogs he’s back in Chicago and apparently ready to contribute to the team’s playoff push.
“I told him to be ready to get into the series today,” head coach Joel Quenneville said about the possibility of Rundblad rejoining the lineup.
The other change for the Blackhawks will involve Andrew Desjardins, who looks set to rejoin the team after being a healthy scratch in Game 3. Brandon Mashinter will remain out of the lineup for Game 4, and Dale Weise will head back to the press box after playing in Sunday’s loss against the Blues, paving the way for Desjardins to return to the mix.
If Rundblad does play, he will likely play in place of Viktor Svedberg, who has had his fair share of struggles so far in the postseason. Michal Rozsival is also a candidate for a potential benching, but Svedberg’s poor play has certainly given Quenneville incentive to make a change.
There is a certain degree of irony involved with Rundblad coming back to play against the Blues. After all, it was St. Louis that traded Rundblad to the Phoenix Coyotes in 2011, and the team acquired a second round pick in the deal. That pick was ultimately used by the Blues to acquire Vladimir Tarasenko.
