Blackhawks host Canadiens as Montreal plays without injured captain Nick Suzuki

The Chicago Blackhawks (3-6-0) return to action on Friday at the United Center to host the Montreal Canadiens (4-3-2) in the first of two Original Six matchups of the regular season. The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on CHSN. Chicago enters the matchup following a five-day break, looking to bounce back from a 4-0 shutout loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday.

Montreal arrives in Chicago to kick off a four-way road trip under difficult circumstances, playing without their captain, Nick Suzuki. Suzuki sustained an upper-body injury during Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks and is expected to miss two to four weeks. The absence will snap Suzuki's consecutive games played streak at 546 games, which stands as the second-longest active streak in the league behind Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns.

Reflecting on the team's recent performance against San Jose, where Montreal surrendered a 3-1 lead, forward Cole Caufield pointed out issues with discipline and penalties. "I thought we were playing well and stupid penalties and things that we don't need to do, really just giving them opportunities and chances to get back in the game," Caufield stated. Head coach Martin St. Louis adjusted his lines during Thursday's practice, slotting Oliver Kapanen at center on the top line alongside Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky.

In addition to Suzuki, the Canadiens will be missing forward Ivan Demidov, who has been sidelined since October 3 with a lower-body injury. Montreal has relied heavily on overtime and shootout performances this season to secure points, holding a 4-3-2 record and totaling 10 points entering Friday's contest. Goaltender Jacob Fowler is projected to make his fifth start of the season for the Canadiens, having stopped 23 of 26 shots in a recent shootout win against the Buffalo Sabres.

For the Blackhawks, Friday marks the fifth game of a seven- homestand. Captain Connor Bedard, who recorded an assist in his season debut against Pittsburgh, emphasized the need to match the structure and consistency of elite teams. "Every team's really good in the NHL and we've got to start beating those top-end teams," Bedard remarked. "You can see when you play Carolina or Dallas where they've been in the hunt the last five years probably -- you see how structured they are, how few mistakes they make, so it gives us another kind of goal of something to reach towards."

Chicago head coach Jeff Blashill will continue to navigate roster adjustments as defenseman Bowen Byram misses his third consecutive game due to an upper-body injury. Byram remains day-to-day and is not currently in the concussion protocol. Spencer Knight is projected to make his eighth start in goal for the Blackhawks, looking to steady a defense allowing an average of 4.00 goals per game.

Last season, the Canadiens swept the two-game series against the Blackhawks, outscoring Chicago 7-3. Montreal has historically held the upper hand in the recent head-to-head series, winning six of the last nine matchups dating back to the start of 2022.