Morning Skate Update: Toews to return against Oilers
Jan 28, 2023 - 7:39 PMChicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews appears to be over his non-COVID illness and will be in the lineup on Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
Toews was a late scratch for Thursday’s game against the Calgary Flames but was on the ice during the morning skate in Edmonton. He did not walk directly back into his usual 1C spot, though:
Blackhawks lines in morning skate vs. Oilers. Dickinson staying as 1C even with Toews returning.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 28, 2023
Athanasiou-Dickinson-Kane
Kurashev-Domi-Raddysh
Lafferty-Toews-Blackwell
Katchouk-Entwistle-RJohnson
McCabe-SJones
JJohnson-Murphy
CJones-Mitchell
Forward Luke Philp, who played the first two NHL games of his career in Chicago’s last two outings, appears to be the odd man out upon Toews’ return. The defensive pairings appear unchanged based on the combinations above but a change was made in the Chicago net:
Mrazek is first goalie off, he’ll start tonight for Blackhawks
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 28, 2023
The Blackhawks are 7-3 in their last 10 games, with Mrazek earning three of those wins. He was bombarded in his last start, making 43 saves on 47 shots for a respectable .915 save percentage in a 5-2 loss.
As for the Oilers, here were their lines at practice on Friday, which appears to include the return of Evander Kane from a personal absence:
Holloway-McDavid-Hyman
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) January 27, 2023
Kane-Draisaitl-Ryan
Kostin-RNH-Janmark
Foegele-McLeod-Puljujarvi
Hamblin-(Yamamoto-LTIR)
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Barrie
Broberg-Bouchard
Desharnais
Skinner
Campbell
The starting goalie will be Jack Campbell (14-8-1, .887 save percentage, 3.35 goals-against average), who has not fared quite as well as fellow netminder Stuart Skinner (13-10-3, .914, 2.92) this season.
Jack Campbell will start tonight for the Oilers vs. CHI.
— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) January 28, 2023
An Edmonton win on Saturday night would accomplish something the Oilers haven’t done against the Blackhawks in nearly two decades:
Oilers look to sweep the season series with the Hawks for the first time since 2003-04 tonight at 8pm MT—join us on @630CHED with @ReidWilkins and @Bob_Stauffer. EDM won a pair of wild ones, 6-5 & 5-4, earlier this year.
— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) January 28, 2023
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