The Chicago Blackhawks will have a different look among their forward group for Sunday's game against the Florida Panthers. Head coach Luke Richardson said Andreas Athanasiou and Taylor Hall will not suit up after both suffered injuries in Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Athanasiou departed the game in Tampa after the second period due to an undisclosed injury. The speedy winger appeared to be walking fine afterward, but the ailment will sideline him for the Blackhawks' next contest. Athanasiou has four assists in 11 games so far this season.
Hall is dealing with a lower-body injury he suffered in Thursday's game against the Bolts. It was a scary sight at first as the veteran forward had to be helped off his ice after getting his right knee clipped along the boards late in the third period.
However, Richardson said the injury looked worse on the ice than it was, and Hall walked on his own in the Blackhawks' locker room after the game. Hall has four points on the season, bolstered by goals in both games of the Blackhawks' back-to-back slate last weekend.
In addition to the aforementioned injuries to Blackhawks forwards, defenseman Jarred Tinordi also exited early from Thursday's game. Tinordi's oblique issue appears to be more severe as Chicago placed him on injured reserve and recalled Isaak Phillips from the Rockford IceHogs earlier on Saturday.
With Athanasiou and Hall sidelined for Sunday's contest in Florida, expect Reese Johnson and Boris Katchouk to draw back into the lineup. Puck drop is at 12 PM CT and the game will air on NBC Sports Chicago.
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