The Chicago Blackhawks (4-12-1) close out a three-game road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes (13-3-2) at Lenovo Center on Saturday. The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on CHSN.

Saturday marks the second and final meeting between the Blackhawks and Hurricanes in the 2026-27 regular season. Carolina won the first matchup 5-2 at the United Center on Oct. 10. Mark Jankowski, Sebastian Aho (PP), Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Martinook scored for the Hurricanes. Roman Kantserov and Oliver Moore scored for Chicago.

Brandon Bussi earned the win for the Hurricanes, stopping 24 of 26 shots faced. Spencer Knight allowed five goals on 39 shots in the 5-2 loss.

The Blackhawks enter Saturday’s game riding a five-game losing streak and have lost eight of nine games since Oct. 17. Last time out, Chicago fell 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, dropping their road record to 0-7-1 in eight games. Kantserov scored the team’s lone goal with 48.1 seconds remaining, extending his point streak to seven games. Arvid Soderblom allowed four goals on 35 shots.

With only nine points in 17 games this season, the Blackhawks are one of two NHL teams with a sub-.300 points percentage, joining the Vancouver Canucks. Chicago and Vancouver are also tied for the league’s worst goal differential, both sitting at minus-30.

If the Blackhawks can’t snap their losing skid on Saturday, which seems entirely plausible, the team could see substantial changes when they return home from the road trip. Even with a win against the Hurricanes, it might be unavoidable at this point. The matchup against Carolina could be the final one for the current group of players and coaches.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 5-3 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday and are 5-1-1 in their last seven games. Logan Stankoven, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Andrei Svechnikov, William Carrier, and Jalen Chatfield (EN) scored in Thursday’s win. Bussi stopped 24 of 27 shots in net.

Since these teams met nearly one month ago, Carolina has lost only three of 12 games, including just two in regulation. The Hurricanes have an NHL-best 28 points in .778 points percentage in 18 games this season. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s group is off and running in their quest to defend the Stanley Cup.

Here’s everything else to know before the puck drops at 7:00 p.m. CT in Carolina.

Blackhawks Projected Lineup

Roman Kantserov — Connor Bedard — Tyler Bertuzzi

Oliver Moore — Frank Nazar — Anton Frondell

Teuvo Teravainen — Ryan Greene — Ryan Donato

Cole Smith — Jordan Greenway — Dillon Boucher

Alex Vlasic — Ian Cole

Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov

Kevin Korchinski — Sam Rinzel

D — Ethan Del Mastro, F — Andrew Mangiapane

D — Bowen Byram (upper body), F — Patrick Kane (upper body)

***

The Blackhawks changed three of their four forward lines from Thursday, most notably moving Frank Nazar to the second line with Anton Frondell and Oliver Moore. Nazar has spent most of the season playing center but will now get a chance on the wing with Frondell and Moore.

Ryan Greene has been bumped to third-line center, with Teuvo Teravainen and Ryan Donato as linemates.

Jordan Greenway returns to the lineup after being scratched in Tampa Bay. Greenway will center the fourth line with Cole Smith and Dillon Boucher.

Andrew Mangiapane will be the lone scratch from the forward group.

Kevin Korchinski replaces Ethan Del Mastro on the third pairing with Sam Rinzel. Korchinski hasn’t played since Oct. 29 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Bowen Byram and Patrick Kane remain out with upper-body injuries. Kane will miss his third straight game, while Byram will miss his 11th.

Hurricanes Projected Lineup

William Carrier — Sebastian Aho — Andrei Svechnikov

Nikolaj Ehlers — Logan Stankoven — Jackson Blake

Taylor Hall — Mark Jankowski — Seth Jarvis

Eric Robinson — Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Jordan Martinook

Jacob Slavin — Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller — Sean Walker

Shayne Gostisbehere — Alexander Nikishin

F — Nicolas Deslauriers, D — Mike Reilly, D — Juuso Valimaki

F — Jordan Staal (calf)

***

Alexander Nikishin is expected to make his season debut for the Hurricanes on the third defensive pairing with Shayne Gostisbehere. Nikishin will replace Juuso Valimaki.

Projected Goaltending Matchup

Knight will make his 14th start of the season for the Blackhawks. In his last start on Wednesday, the 25-year-old allowed four goals on 28 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. Knight is 4-3-0 with a 2.98 GAA, .904 Sv%, and two shutouts in seven career games against Carolina.

Kochetkov will make his 12th start of the season for the Hurricanes. In his last start on Tuesday, the 27-year-old allowed three goals on 19 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. It was Kochetkov’s first loss of the season. Kochetkov is 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA, .937 Sv%, and one shutout in three career games against Chicago.

2026-27 Results vs. Carolina

Carolina has won 15 of 19 meetings with the Blackhawks since the start of 2021, including the first matchup in the 2026-27 season series on Oct. 10 in Chicago.

11/07/26 — Lenovo Center

2026-27 Team Stats & Leaders

How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info

Blackhawks Upcoming Schedule

Thur, Nov. 12 — vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7:00 p.m. CT

Sat, Nov. 14 — vs. Winnipeg Jets, 2:30 p.m. CT

Tue, Nov. 17 — vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 6:30 p.m. CT

Thur, Nov. 19 — vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00 p.m. CT