The Chicago Blackhawks are making several personnel changes ahead of Saturday's home opener against the Vegas Golden Knights. Forward Cole Guttman is heading to the Rockford IceHogs, and head coach Luke Richardson is altering his lineup.
Guttman scored one goal in three games to open the season but was a healthy scratch on the Blackhawks' last two stops of their road trip. The 24-year-old did not need to pass through waivers, making him an ideal candidate to be sent down as Philipp Kurashev nears a return to the lineup.
Speaking of Kurashev, he was on the ice for Blackhawks morning skate, which saw several lineup changes. Notably, Ryan Donato drops from the first to the fourth line and Taylor Raddysh gets a chance with the top group. Andreas Athanasiou will jump from the fourth to the second line to play alongside Lukas Reichel. Additionally, it looks like Reese Johnson will replace MacKenzie Entwistle on the fourth line.
On defense, Kevin Korchinski moves to the top pair with Seth Jones. That change drops Alex Vlasic to the second unit with Connor Murphy, and Jarred Tinordi will draw back in for Nikita Zaitsev on the third pair.
After suffering a blowout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, the Blackhawks hope these lineup changes will spark a better effort against the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Arvid Soderblom is expected to start in goal.
Saturday's puck drop between the Blackhawks and Golden Knights is at 7 PM, but the home opener festivities will begin at 3 PM CT.
The game will air on NBC Sports Chicago and WGN Radio.
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