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The Chicago Blackhawks will face the Vancouver Canucks in game four of their six-game road trip on Wednesday night. The first three haven't gone according to plan, as they are 0-2-1 on the trip. 

The Blackhawks, ahead of this trip, were off to a good start to the 2025-26 season. These last three games have been a bump in the road, but this match against Vancouver is their next chance to get back on track. 

This is Connor Bedard's next opportunity for a good performance against the team he grew up cheering for. The first few games of his career didn't go as well as he would have liked, but he is a completely different player with a totally different outlook this time. 

Scouting Vancouver

Vancouver missed the playoffs last season in what turned out to be a disaster of a year for the organization. They were forced to trade J.T. Miller because he wasn't getting along with other players on the team, other players had career-worst numbers, and the year was capped off by the GM admitting that Quinn Hughes may want to leave to play with his brothers.

Despite all of that noise, they are fighting to stay afloat in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. They enter this game on the outside portion of the bubble with a record of 7-7-0. 

Kevin Lankinen is the projected starter for the Vancouver Canucks. The old Chicago Blackhawks goalie has played very well since moving to Vancouver, and he will look to keep that going against the Blackhawks in this one. 

Kane - Pettersson - Garland

DeBrusk Reichel - Boeser

O’Connor - Räty - Sherwood

Bains - Sasson - Karlsson

Hughes - Myers

Pettersson - Hronek

Pettersson - Willander

Following an injury, Quinn Hughes returned to the Vancouver Canucks lineup in their last game against the Nashville Predators. In this game, they'll be getting another boost with the addition of Conor Garland back in the lineup. 

Vancouver is coming off their own road trip, where it went 2-1-0. These additions to their lineup make them even more dangerous. 

Yes, there are three players with the last name of Pettersson in their lineup. Elias is their star center who wears number 40 on the top line. 

He isn't the only Elias Pettersson, either, though. The other is a depth defenseman who will play on the third pair and wear number 25. The third, Marcus, will play on the second pair and wear number 29. 

Kevin Lankinen isn't the only ex-Blackhawk going in this game. Lukas Reichel, who was just traded to Vancouver a couple of weeks ago, is projected to be their second-line center. That is far better for him than being a healthy scratch regularly in Chicago. 

Reichel is out to prove that Vancouver made the right decision trading for him. Although he went out with some of his teammates on Tuesday night, he is ready for business when the puck drops. 

Vancouver didn't take part in line rushes during Wednesday's morning skate, so these are projected, but the addition of Garland back to the lineup will add to their depth either way. 

Projected Blackhawks Lines, Defense Pairs, and Starting Goalie

Greene-Bedard-Burakovsky

Teräväinen-Nazar-Bertuzzi 

Moore-Donato-Mikheyev

Foligno-Dach

Vlasic-Rinzel

Kaiser-Levshunov

Grzelcyk-Murphy

Crevier

Knight

Spencer Knight is the projected starter for the Chicago Blackhawks. He has been their number one all season, and is looking to lead the way to victory on Wednesday night. 

Like the Canucks, the Blackhawks didn't reveal lines during their morning skate. That is starting to become a pattern for Jeff Blashill over the last few morning skates. 

There are two reasons to believe that they will go with 11/7 again, however. The first is that they have gone with that strategy in all but two games. The second reason is that Sam Lafferty, who has been a healthy scratch in all but three games this season, was the last off the ice. 

Bedard's homecoming will see him on a line with Ryan Greene and Andre Burakovsky. Bedard is looking to extend his point streak, while Burakovsky would like to get his goal-scoring streak to four. 

On defense, this group of seven has worked very well for the Blackhawks. They had some tough moments against the Winnipeg Jets earlier in the tip, but they have been solid otherwise. 

How To Watch

The Blackhawks and Canucks can be found locally on CHSN. Nationally, it can be found on ESPN+ in the United States and on Sportsnet in Canada. In Chicago, it can be heard on WGN AM 720. The puck will drop a little bit after 9 PM CT. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

One of the main concerns to kick off the New York Rangers’ 2025-26 campaign lies with the play of Artemi Panarin. 

Panarin entered the season without a contract in place, which only put more pressure on the veteran forward to perform at a high level. 

During training camp, he admitted that it’s a roller coaster ride playing without a contract extension in place.

“It’s obviously good for everyone to feel that security,” Panarin said. “I’m used to it, being in that situation. It is what it is right now. Just not (going to) complain about it, I’m ready to work hard…

“Obviously, after bad games, you are thinking too much, but after good games, you enjoy it more than usual.”

Panarin may be making it harder on himself to land the long-term commitment that he is coveting. 

Through 14 games, the 34-year-old forward has recorded two goals, seven assists, and nine points while averaging 21:08 minutes per game. 

Since arriving in New York in 2019, Panarin has been the catalyst of the Rangers’ offense and one of the leading point producers in the NHL. 

Panarin’s slow offensive start to kick off the season has been a wide point of conversation among the Rangers’ community, especially given his current contract situation. 

Mike Sullivan is not worried about Panarin’s production though, as he knows players of his caliber usually find ways to turn things around. 

“I think it's probably a little bit of both,” Sullivan said on if Panarin’s struggles are due to goaltenders playing well or if something is not clicking for Panarin. “He's definitely getting some looks. I think when he gets underneath people, and he gets inside the dots, he's really dangerous. 

“My experience in coaching players of his caliber is sometimes as coaches, we just have to be careful we don’t get in the way there. So we're trying to give him a lot of latitude with his offensive game. We share our observations with him, but obviously, those types of players, what makes them unique is they tend to think the game differently than others, and that's part of what makes them who they are. I've always been a strong believer that, I try not to get in the way of that process. So he's at his best place and in that instinctive mindset, and he's trusted his instincts, and we're trying to encourage that.”

How does Panarin’s slow start directly impact his contract negotiations with the Rangers?

According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, the Rangers are in no rush to strike a deal, with the team taking a patient approach. 

“But for the moment, my sense of the situation is that it’s very early in the season under new head coach Mike Sullivan, the Rangers want to see how things go and therefore are not in a hurry to get going more seriously on talks to extend the pending UFA winger,” Lebrun wrote.

The longer these negotiations drag out, the more pressure it puts on Panarin if his offensive skid continues. 

K'Andre Miller Opens Up About The Highs And Lows Of Playing For The Rangers K’Andre Miller returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time since being traded from the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> to the Carolina Hurricanes over the summer.&nbsp;

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Rangers wanted Panarin to take a team-friendly deal during the summer, but the two sides were unable to agree. 

“I understand, at some point in the off-season, the Rangers had that kind of conceptual conversation with Panarin: ‘Is there a way you could do for the Rangers what Kopitar did for the Kings?’” Friedman said. “Obviously, at this point and time, it hasn’t happened. I don’t know where that’s going to go, I don’t know if that’s going to be a possibility, but I do know the two sides had the conversation and, obviously, at this point, Panarin is unsigned.”

It’s still early on in the season, so there’s no need to push the panic button on Panarin just yet, but his play on top of his contract dilemma is both worth keeping an eye out for.

The Golden Knights have announced a proud partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings. 

As part of the collaboration, Buffalo Wild Wings will be prominently featured with an on-ice logo at T-Mobile Arena. 

The restaurant chain also steps into a key community role as the Presenting Sponsor of the VGK High School Hockey League, reinforcing its commitment to supporting youth sports in Southern Nevada.

Golden Knights Ignite High School Hockey In The DesertThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights">Golden Knights</a> are responsible for the widespread attention to hockey in the Las Vegas desert, a place where the sport was once considered unlikely to thrive.

“Partnering with Buffalo Wild Wings is a natural fit for the Vegas Golden Knights,” said John Penhollow, President of Business Operations of the Golden Knights. 

“Their passion for bringing fans together over great food and live sports aligns perfectly with our mission to build community through hockey. Whether it’s celebrating a big win or supporting local youth hockey through the VGK High School Hockey League, this partnership gives our fans more ways to connect with the team they love.”

Fans can enjoy six free wings (boneless or traditional) with a $10 purchase at one of ten participating Buffalo Wild Wings locations in the Las Vegas area, valid two days after any Golden Knights win, home or away.

“This collaboration provides the perfect opportunity to bring fans closer to the team they love and offer an exciting way to celebrate every Knights win,” said Phil Albanese, Senior Vice President of Company Operations at Buffalo Wild Wings. “We're excited for the season ahead and look forward to cheering on the Knights over great food and wings."

Five exciting NHL matchups are on the slate, promising fast-paced action, thrilling finishes, and plenty of highlight-reel moments on Wednesday. One of the night’s most compelling games features the young Chicago Blackhawks taking on the Vancouver Canucks, with former Blackhawks 2020 first-round pick Lukas Reichel facing his old team.

This matchup offers plenty of intrigue for fans and bettors alike, with the potential for high-scoring plays and standout individual performances. We’re aiming to build on our early-season momentum after a perfect 3-0 night Tuesday, when all three of our Stars-Oilers picks were correct, while continuing the success of last year’s player prop selections, which included winners like Mitch Marner, Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston, Rasmus Dahlin, Teuvo Teravainen and Connor Hellebuyck.

All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. 

Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM.

Mammoth Set To Push Maple Leafs in Wild Scoring FrenzyThe Red-hot Utah Mammoth challenge Toronto's high-powered offense in a potential goal-scoring explosion.

Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks Best Bets

Canucks ML (-169)

Lukas Reichel Over 0.5 Points (+155)

Quinn Hughes Over 0.5 Assists (-154)

Canucks Over 3.5 Goals (-105)

Vancouver has dominated Chicago in recent history, winning 11 straight matchups against the Blackhawks. Chicago’s last victory in this series came in November 2021, when they narrowly edged the Canucks in a 1-0 win. Overall, Vancouver commands a 20-2-1 record in their last 23 games against Chicago.

Wednesday’s game carries added intrigue as a “revenge” story for Lukas Reichel. Once regarded as a potential star in Chicago, Reichel has long been linked to trade rumors due to frustration with the organization. 

Struggling to secure a consistent spot in the Blackhawks’ lineup, he was traded to Vancouver, where he now gets a second chance. In Vancouver, he’s playing second-line minutes alongside experienced wingers like Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser. Despite a hot start to the season in Chicago, recording four points in his first six games, Reichel has yet to tally a point in six outings with the Canucks. He may finally find his footing against his former team, especially with Chicago’s defense showing signs of vulnerability.

The Blackhawks began the season solidly, posting a 4-2-2 record in their first eight games. However, they’ve struggled recently, going 1-3-1 while allowing 18 goals over their last five contests. Their offense has stalled, producing just 14 goals in that stretch, seven of which came in a single 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Canucks have dealt with significant injury issues, with key players Nils Höglander, Filip Chytil, Connor Garland, and Teddy Blueger all sidelined. This has contributed to inconsistency, as seen in their 5-4 overtime win over the Nashville Predators on Monday. Vancouver gave up two late goals to tie the game on the road but quickly regained momentum with a game-winning goal from Brock Boeser in overtime. The Canucks have alternated wins and losses in each of their last six games, and a win on Wednesday would not only break that cycle but also give a boost to their playoff push.

Canucks captain Quinn Hughes returned from a four-game absence on Monday but did not record a point. Hughes has historically excelled against Chicago, tallying points in six straight games versus the Blackhawks, totaling ten points over his last 11 games against them. He could be primed for a bounce-back performance in this matchup and help Reichel get on the board in the process. 

Are The Pittsburgh Penguins For Real?Crosby and Malkin are revitalized, leading league-leading Penguins. Can this aging core sustain a Stanley Cup push with solid goaltending and surprisingly deep support?

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

The Los Angeles Kings have finally secured their first win at home on Tuesday night when they defeated the Winnipeg Jets in a 3-0 shutout victory.

However, despite the big win against the Jets at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings still have another drought to end this season.

Adrian Kempe Reaches 200 Goals, Drew Doughty Sets Franchise Record As Kings Shut Out Jets Los Angeles finally found their swagger at home, shutting out the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 Tuesday night to win its first home game of the season.&nbsp;

In 14 games so far this season, the Kings have faced an Eastern Conference opponent four times. They’ve battled against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, and New Jersey Devils. 

In those four contests, the Kings only picked up one point in an overtime loss to the Hurricanes on Oct. 18. This means they’re still looking for their first win against an Eastern Conference team this season.

Report: Los Angeles Kings Scouting Philadelphia Flyers For Potential Top-Six WingerThe Los Angeles Kings are keeping tabs on the Philadelphia Flyers. Recent scouting reports suggest a top-six winger acquisition, potentially targeting Tippett, Konecny or Foerster to boost scoring.

Los Angeles have a chance to silence their lack of wins against the opposite conference on Thursday night when they take on the defending, back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, Florida Panthers.

History says that there is a strong possibility for the Kings to best the Panthers on home ice. In the last six matchups between these two teams, the Kings have been victorious four times, with three of those wins in their own barn.

Last season, Los Angeles and Florida split the season with one regulation win apiece. The Panthers got the last laugh with a 3-0 win on Jan. 29.

Nonetheless, the Kings could be looking at their first win against an Eastern Conference opponent for the first time this season, just after they earned their first home win of the campaign on Tuesday.

To help the Kings’ case against the Panthers on Thursday, Florida currently sit last in the Eastern Conference, despite having a 6-6-1 record. Furthermore, their coming off a 7-3 loss to open their California road trip against the Anaheim Ducks.

In the process of Los Angeles potentially solving their case against Eastern Conference opponents, a win would push them into the top three of the Pacific Division, even if they have a few more games played than their divisional counterparts.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

There have been a ton of boxes checked for Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie sensation Ben Kindel in the last two months.

First, the 18-year-old center impressed so much during training camp that he earned a spot on the opening night NHL roster, which was not necessarily something that was expected. Then, he impressed even more as the team's third-line center during his nine-game trial that he earned an NHL stay and activated his three-year entry-level contract. He also earned the chance to play on the Penguins' top power play unit in the injury absence of Rickard Rakell, and he already has two power-play goals.

Now, it appears he will get to check yet another box. 

During Wednesday's practice, Kindel was taking line rushes with future Hall-of-Fame center Sidney Crosby and top winger Bryan Rust on the team's first line, which is a good indication that he will slot there in the lineup when the Penguins take on Washington Capitals on Thursday. 

And for the rookie center - who has five goals in 12 games on the season already - it will be yet another earned opportunity for him to play a bigger role on this Penguins' team. 

"If I get that opportunity to play with two elite players like that, I'm very honored and grateful to have that opportunity," Kindel said. "Just going to do whatever I can to help that line."

And it's no secret that playing with an all-time great player doesn't always come easy to players. But, given how Kindel has adjusted to the NHL up to this point, it may be a piece of cake for the young center.

For one, Kindel has switched from center to the wing before, so this is nothing new to him. He has played wing for Canadian national team camps, and he switched between center and wing last season for the Calgary Hitmen, when he put up 35 goals and 99 points in 65 WHL games. 

But even more so than the positional familiarity is the hockey sense that Kindel possesses at such a young age. That has been on display during his entire first taste of NHL action, and he hasn't missed a beat. He reads plays in all three zones akin to how a 10-year NHL veteran would. He knows how to expose the soft areas of the ice. He's a workhorse down low and uses some high-end edgework to his advantage. 

Penguins Provide Injury Updates On Three Key PlayersThe Pittsburgh Penguins provided some injury updates to three players on Wednesday.

Does that sound a bit familiar? It's not unlike his new linemate - even if expectations aren't quite as high as they were for that guy at 18. Crosby and Kindel think the game on a similar level, and that will probably lend to them developing some chemistry.

Crosby said Kindel's speed and compete in puck battles will help, too. But, at the end of the day, it's about communication, as it is with any other linemate - not just a young one.

"I think that you always want to communicate," Crosby said. "You can [try to] accelerate that learning curve as best you can, but ultimately, you've just got to go through things and read off each other. I think that the more you can talk things out, the better you can do that. That's going to be part of it."

Kindel himself also identified his ability to win puck battles and get the puck to some of the best players on the ice as things he can do to help out his new veteran linemates.

"Just kind of trying to work as hard as I can," Kindel said. "They're all very smart players, and I'm just trying to read off them as much as I can and just trying to move the puck to them, win puck battles, just keep plays alive, stuff like that. You know, things like that... I think it's going to be really important."

With a boatload of injuries and a roster shakeup - the Penguins placed three players on injured reserve, sent down young defenseman Owen Pickering, and recalled three more players Tuesday - there is bound to be a lot of experimentation going forward. Kindel's third line was really getting the job done in recent games - including controlling 95.5 percent of the expected goals share against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday - but with two regular top-six players missing from their lineup in Rakell and Justin Brazeau, things were probably going to change eventually.

Penguins' Third Line - Led By Rookie Ben Kindel - Thriving In Key Analytics CategoryWell, it appears that word travels fast across hockey circles, and the rest of hockey is quickly learning that <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' rookie center Ben Kindel is the real deal.&nbsp;

And head coach Dan Muse thought it was the right time to give Kindel a try in the top-six, especially since he's played on the wing in the past, during training camp, and even in some game action.

"It's something we wanted to see today in practice," Muse said. "Like I said before, we're still going to have some conversations and make some final determinations in terms of how things are going to look [Thursday]."

He added: "There's been enough of an evaluation in the past for us to feel comfortable with seeing what that looks like. Obviously, those guys are together on the power play, and we've seen them be able to read off each other, make plays with each other. So, it's something we wanted to look at. It's just another option. It's nice when you have practice days, especially when we had some new faces in there today and some things that we needed to shuffle around."

For Kindel, playing with Crosby is an opportunity to really start to show the rest of the hockey world what he can do. He's already starting to get some of that outside recognition, especially after a dominant two-goal performance in hockey's biggest market Monday.

But, at the end of the day, the young rookie is just grateful for his opportunity to keep playing and keep thriving at the NHL level. And he will get the opportunity to share the ice with another NHL legend Thursday against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.

"Obviously, every night you're playing against different elite NHL talent, but playing against a guy like that, Ovechkin, like... I mean, such a legend in the league," Kindel said. "Very few guys come around that have that kind of status. So, I'm really excited to have the opportunity to play against him."

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