The Blackhawks also play first. They're in Sunrise against Florida on Wednesday, then on the ice in Tampa the next night. That game decides who's in goal on Thursday, how much the top line skated and whether Chicago comes in after a win or another loss. None of it is known yet. What will still hold on Thursday is that Chicago is 4-10-1, plays its 2nd road game in 2 nights and faces a team that is 9-3-2.
Tampa's form isn't spotless. Before the Detroit game, the Lightning had given up 4 or more goals in 4 straight. That included a 6-3 loss in Colorado and two 5-4 losses to Utah and Nashville. They kept winning by outscoring people, with 4 or more goals in 6 straight games. That kind of team can go back and forth with anyone. Chicago is the wrong team to test that against: the Blackhawks scored 2 or fewer goals in 4 of their last 5 games, and Kane was on the ice for all of those.
The Lightning are missing some depth down the middle. Zemgus Girgensons was out against Detroit with a lower-body injury, and Yanni Gourde has been on the injured non-roster list since September with a hip injury. That thins out the bottom-6 but doesn't affect the top of the lineup. For Chicago, the Colorado game shows how this can go wrong. It was 2-2 after 1 period and then 0 goals for Chicago over the last 40 minutes. To have a shot in Tampa, the Blackhawks need Bedard's line to carry the scoring and their goalie to have a good night after a back-to-back.
