The Chicago Blackhawks are going to take on the San Jose Sharks to close out their three-game Western road trip. This will be Chicago’s final road game of the 2025-26 season.
Of course, unless one is out of the lineup for whatever reason, Sharks vs Blackhawks will be headlined by the player matchup between Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini for a long time. Of course, they were back-to-back first overall picks in 2023 and 2024.
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Scouting San Jose
The San Jose Sharks are in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference. Earning the second Wild Card spot is on the table for them, and they need every point they can get. With two head-to-head matchups between the two between now and season’s end, the Blackhawks will heavily influence the fate of the Sharks.
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Macklin Celebrini was absent from the morning skate, but this is San Jose’s way of giving him a rest. He plays a lot of minutes, and it’s pivotal to the success of the team.
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Other young players with outstanding skill, like William Eklund, Will Smith, Michael Misa, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Sam Dickinson, all play key roles in the success of the team, while veterans like Tyler Toffoli, Dmitry Orlov, and Alexander Wennberg contribute.
Alex Nedeljkovic will start in goal for the San Jose Sharks. If they can find a way to score some goals, largely thanks to the play of Macklin Celebrini, Nedeljkovic is good enough to help them win. San Jose only has two wins in games that Celebrini doesn’t have a point, so containing him is the biggest key to victory for all of their opponents.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks played a strong 60-minute game against the Kraken on Saturday, and repeating that effort is among their top priorities as their season winds down. Creating good habits and a winning culture could be beneficial to the 2026-27 season.
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Greene – Bedard – Lardis
Bertuzzi – Frondell – Mikheyev
Donato – Nazar – Mangiapane
Teravainen – Boisvert – Slaggert
Vlasic – Rinzel
Kaiser – Crevier
Korchinski – Del Mastro
Knight
Andrew Mangiapane is going to draw back into the lineup. It is likely going to be in place of Andre Burakovsky, who may be a scratch based on his late departure from the morning skate in San Jose.
Jeff Blashill wouldn’t confirm or deny that thought process, so the true line combinations will have to wait until warmups. Spencer Knight will start in goal for the Blackhawks against the Sharks.
This is likely to be another game with Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Anton Frondell forming a three-headed monster down the middle. If so, that makes the Blackhawks a dangerous attacking team with those three coming in waves.
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Coming off a game in which he scored his first career NHL goal, Sacha Boisvert will likely round out the centers. With the wingers and defensemen committed to a certain defensive game, this team can skate with anyone. Against another young team like the Sharks, it will take a village to get it done, as it usually does in the NHL.
For the Blackhawks, this is the last time that this team, as currently constructed, will be on the road together. After this game, they will return to Chicago for a four-game home-stand to finish the 2025-26 season.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it is available on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 9:00 PM CT.
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