The Vancouver Canucks (2-1-2) close out a four-game road trip looking for their third straight victory when they face the Chicago Blackhawks (2-3-1) at United Center.
The biggest storyline heading into this one is the uncertain status of JT Miller.

What we saw

Miller took the ice this morning in Chicago as part of an optional Canucks morning skate. He is listed as a game-time decision after missing practice on Monday for what the club described as maintenance after getting shaken up on his first shift in the team’s 3-0 win in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Miller has been remarkably durable during his time in Vancouver. He has missed one game in each of the past two seasons and a total of four games over the past three years. If Miller can’t play tonight, Pius Suter will likely slide into his spot at centre after skating there during yesterday’s practice.
Kevin Lankinen stopped all 26 shots he faced against the Flyers and will make his third consecutive start in goal tonight. The former Blackhawk is 2-0-1 in his three appearances with the Canucks. He broke into the NHL and spent two seasons in Chicago.
Kiefer Sherwood, who scored his first goal as a Canuck on Saturday, has recorded 19 hits in his last two games and leads the NHL with 32 hits this season. In fact, he has twice as many hits as his next closest teammate, Jake DeBrusk.
After scuffling with just one goal in their last 14 attempts, the Canucks showed different looks on the power play at Monday’s practice. Their formations for tonight will likely be predicated on Miller’s availability. Much of the first unit runs through Miller on the left wing boards, so expect significant change if Miller is unable to play. Even if Miller is available, Jake DeBrusk appears to have been bumped from the team’s top unit.
The Canucks have enjoyed a terrific run of success against Chicago winning seven straight games and 10 of the last 11.

The opponent

After a 4-2 loss at home to Buffalo on Saturday, the Blackhawks have alternated wins and losses over their last five games. Veteran Craig Smith scored both Chicago goals against the Sabres – his first two as a Blackhawk.
With a goal and six assists, Connor Bedard shares the team lead in scoring with Teuvo Teravainen (3+4=7), while defenceman Seth Jones is off to a quick start with 1+5=6. Philipp Kurashev, who finished second to Bedard in team scoring with 54 points last season, will be a healthy scratch tonight. Kurashev has 1+0=1 through his first six games this season, and head coach Luke Richardson is sending his winger a strong message.
Former Canuck Ilya Mikheyev is still looking for his first point as a Hawk. He has six shots on goal and has averaged 14:58 per game through six games so far. Tonight, he’ll play left wing on a line with another former Canuck Jason Dickenson.
Petr Mrazek backed up Arvid Soderblom on Saturday but will be back in action tonight. Mrazek is 2-2 this season with a 2.53 GAA and a 91.1% save percentage.
Chicago’s special teams have been strong in the early going this season. The power play is 5/17 (29.4%), while the penalty kill has successfully defended 14 of 16 short-handed situations (87.5%).
This is the only time these teams will meet in the Windy City this season. The Hawks will visit Vancouver on November 16th and again on March 15th. North Vancouver’s Conor Bedard has yet to play an NHL game in his hometown. He was injured when the Blackhawks made their only appearance at Rogers Arena last season.
Tonight’s referees: Carter Sandlak & Ghislain Hebert
Tonight’s broadcasters: John Shorthouse & Dave Tomlinson

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on Miller’s status for tonight: “Yeah, he looks like he’s probable. We’ll do a game time (decision) and see how he is. I’ll talk to him later today.”
Brock Boeser on Canucks trying to tidy up in their own zone: “I think we’re giving up a lot of big chances in the defensive zone. We’re still working on it. Everyone is still trying to get on the same page a little bit. If we can reduce the amount of Grade A chances, I think it can help our game.”
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