Connor Bedard is about to get a boost on the Chicago Blackhawks’ top scoring line.
Chicago expects to welcome back forward Teuvo Teravainen from injury when the Blackhawks face off against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
The 31-year-old Teravainen shares fourth on the team with 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 45 games this season. He missed the past six games before returning to practice Monday afternoon, when he joined the top line alongside Bedard and Frank Nazar.
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill is excited to see how the front-loaded line can perform.
“What you hope, when you put the lines together, is the sum is greater than the parts,” Blashill said. “So can they be exponentially better? We hope so. The one thing I’ve got to do is give it some runway … (and) just stay with it through the next three games.”
Chicago comes off a 5-1 home loss Sunday night against the Florida Panthers. The Blackhawks are 2-4-1 over their past seven games as they embark on a road trip to Minnesota and Pittsburgh that serves as the team’s annual moms’ trip.
The Wild also are looking for a bounce-back performance. They fell short 4-3 in overtime against the Panthers on Saturday, which leaves them 3-3-2 over their past eight games.
Minnesota welcomed back top forward Matt Boldy against Florida. Boldy, who returned after missing four games because of a lower-body injury, provided an immediate impact with a short-handed goal and an assist.
“It was nice to have him back,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “He’s an impactful guy for us that plays a lot of key situations and key minutes.”
Boldy ranks second on the Wild with 53 points (28 goals, 25 assists) in 49 games. The only player ahead of him is Kirill Kaprizov, who owns 64 points (28 goals, 36 assists) in 53 games.
The Blackhawks will try to limit the Wild’s attack with either Spencer Knight or Arvid Soderblom in net. Knight sits 15-14-6 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage this season while Soderblom has a 5-8-2 record with a 3.75 GAA and an .874 save percentage.
Knight has faced the Wild two times in his career. He is 0-0-1 with a 2.94 GAA and an .867 save percentage in those contests. Soderblom also has faced Minnesota twice, and he is 0-2-0 with a 3.55 GAA and an .889 save percentage.
The Wild will counter with Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt in net. Gustavsson is 17-9-6 with a 2.62 GAA and a .907 save percentage, and Wallstedt is 12-5-4 with a 2.70 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
In seven career games against Chicago, Gustavsson is 6-0-1 with a 1.99 GAA and a .929 save percentage. In Wallstedt’s lone start against Chicago, he stopped all 24 shots he faced for the shutout victory on April 7, 2024.
To make room for Teravainen’s return, the Blackhawks sent 20-year-old Nick Lardis to their AHL affiliate Monday. He had five goals and two assists in 21 games with Chicago.
–Field Level Media
