Blackhawks and Oilers Prepare for November Showdown
The Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers are set to face off tonight, November 1, 2025, at Rogers Place. Both teams are looking to improve their records, with the Blackhawks currently sitting at 5-4-2 and the Oilers at 5-4-3. This will be the first of three meetings between the two teams this season.
Blackhawks' Projected Lineup
The Blackhawks are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets and are looking to rebound against the Oilers. Ilya Mikheyev is expected to return to the lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury. He is slated to take the place of Jason Dickinson, who aggravated a previous injury in the game against the Jets.
Here's the projected lineup for the Blackhawks:
- Forwards: Ryan Greene - Connor Bedard - Andre Burakovsky ; Teuvo Teravainen - Frank Nazar - Tyler Bertuzzi; Ryan Donato - Colton Dach - Ilya Mikheyev; Landon Slaggert - Nick Foligno
- Defense: Alex Vlasic - Sam Rinzel; Matt Grzelcyk - Connor Murphy; Wyatt Kaiser - Artyom Levshunov; Louis Crevier
- Goalies: Spencer Knight; Arvid Soderblom
Colton Dach is expected to move from right wing to center on the third line. The Blackhawks are expected to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Spencer Knight is likely to start in goal for the Blackhawks. Knight has a 4-3-1 record this season with a 2.6 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.
Oilers' Projected Lineup
The Edmonton Oilers are also looking to bounce back after a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers. They have been shuffling their lines recently to try and generate more offense.
Here's the projected lineup for the Oilers:
- Forwards: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Connor McDavid - Andrew Mangiapane; Vasily Podkolzin - Leon Draisaitl - Jack Roslovic; Matthew Savoie - Adam Henrique - Trent Frederic; Isaac Howard - Noah Philp - Curtis Lazar
- Defense: Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard; Darnell Nurse - Jake Walman; Brett Kulak - Ty Emberson
- Goalies: Stuart Skinner; Calvin Pickard
Noah Philp is expected to be back in the lineup, replacing David Tomasek. The Oilers are expected to return to a conventional 12-forward, 6-defenseman lineup after using 11 forwards and 7 defensemen in the previous two games. Stuart Skinner is likely to start in net for the Oilers. Skinner is 3-3-2 this season with a 2.59 GAA and a .896 SV%.
Players to Watch
For the Blackhawks, all eyes will be on Connor Bedard, who leads the team with 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists). Frank Nazar has also been impressive, with 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists).
On the Oilers side, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are the players to watch, as they are tied for the team lead with 14 points each. Draisaitl has 8 goals and 6 assists, while McDavid has 3 goals and 11 assists.
Injury Report
The Blackhawks will be without Jason Dickinson due to an upper body injury. Laurent Brossoit is also injured with a hip injury.
The Oilers have several players on the injured list, including Zach Hyman (wrist), Mattias Janmark (undisclosed), Kasperi Kapanen (knee), and Alec Regula (undisclosed). Zach Hyman is getting closer to returning from a wrist injury, but will be out for at least another week.
Game Notes
The Blackhawks have been good at covering the +1.5 goal line in their recent games. The Oilers have struggled to cover the -1.5 goal line in their recent games against the Blackhawks. The Oilers have won eight of their last nine games against the Blackhawks. The game starts at 10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBC, SN1, TVAS2, and CHSN.
