GAME DAY: Golden Knights wrap up road trip against Blackhawks
CHICAGO — The Golden Knights complete their three-game road trip Tuesday when they face the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center.
Opening faceoff is 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, and the game will be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.
The Knights (6-4-0, 12 points) are coming off a disappointing 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday in the first game of a back-to-back.
“It’d be great to be a more consistent team right now,” right wing Reilly Smith said following the game. “We have the make-up in the locker room, but it’s just not translating onto the ice. It’s just frustrating. We’ve got to answer for this game and have a good performance (Tuesday).”
The team did not hold a morning skate and no official lineup information will be released until two hours before opening faceoff.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start after resting against the Flyers. He has won four of his past five starts and owns a 6-2 record with a 2.18 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.
Smith tallied his team-best seventh goal in the third period Monday, and left wing Jonathan Marchessault scored on the power play after being held without a goal in the previous seven games.
Right wing Mark Stone picked up an assist on Marchessault’s goal against the Flyers to extend his points streak to six games (four goals, three assists).
The Knights are 6-0 all time against Chicago.
The Blackhawks (2-3-1, 5 points) saw their two-game win streak snapped Sunday in a 5-3 loss to Washington, and this is the penultimate game in a seven-game homestand.
Goaltender Robin Lehner (1-0-1 record, 2.46 GAA, .931 SP) was announced as the starter against the Knights. He made 37 stops against Columbus on Friday in his most recent appearance.
Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks with eight points (three goals, five assists) and sits fourth on the all-time list for most career points by a US-born player in their first 13 seasons.
Chicago is expected to use the same lineup from Sunday’s loss, which includes forward Kirby Dach, the No. 3 overall pick in the June draft.
Former Golden Knights forward Ryan Carpenter, who signed with Chicago as a free agent, has three assists and is eighth in the NHL (minimum 30 faceoffs) winning 63.3 percent of his draws.
Golden Knights projected lineup
Forwards
Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson-Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty-Paul Stastny-Mark Stone
Brandon Pirri-Cody Eakin-Cody Glass
William Carrier-Tomas Nosek-Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
Brayden McNabb-Shea Theodore
Jon Merrill-Nick Holden
Jake Bischoff-Deryk Engelland
Goaltender
Marc-Andre Fleury
More Golden Knights: Follow at reviewjournal.com/
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.