Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins | Saturday, October 31, 2026 | 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET | TD Garden, Boston | NESN, CHSN
I picked the Red Wings to beat us on Thursday, 3-2. They won 4-1, so I had the winner and missed the margin by two goals. Viktor Arvidsson scored a hat trick, Lucas Raymond added the power-play goal that decided it early in the third period, and Connor Bedard scored the only Chicago goal. Patrick Kane got a long standing ovation from the Detroit crowd after a tribute video, which was the nicest part of the night.
Jeff Blashill’s postgame comments were the opposite of nice. He said the team had “too many players who weren’t close to being good enough” and called the game “a step backward.” Now the Hawks are 4-9-0, they have lost four of their last five and they get on a plane for a noon game against one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Game Info: Blackhawks at Bruins
- Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Puck drop: 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
- Venue: TD Garden, Boston
- TV: NESN in Boston; CHSN in Chicago; SN1 and Sportsnet One in Canada. Radio in Boston is 98.5 The Sports Hub
- Records: Blackhawks 4-9-0 (31st in the league); Bruins 9-4-1, one point ahead of Montreal in the Atlantic
- Odds: TheSpread.com had Boston at -240 and Chicago at +200, with a puck line of Bruins -1.5 (+110) and a total of 6.0. Boston opened at -230. The -240 price implies about 70.6%, according to that site, which is steep for a team that has lost its last two games
The Hawks: Offensive Problems and Road Misery
The numbers don’t flatter anyone. Chicago has scored two or fewer goals in five straight games and has been held under 22 shots on goal in five of its last seven, per Chicago Hockey Now. The Hawks are 0-5-0 on the road, the franchise’s first such start since 1988, and they’ve been outscored 23-7 in those games. Their power play is the league’s worst at about 10%.
- The Bedard line was the one bright spot against Detroit. With Bedard on the ice at 5-on-5, the Hawks led in shot attempts 18-11, and Roman Kantserov hit a post.
- The middle six was largely shut down. Chicago Hockey Now suggested splitting up Anton Frondell and Tyler Bertuzzi, and Frondell’s ice time fell to a season-low 11:44.
- Goalie: Spencer Knight (4-7-0, .897) made 27 saves on Thursday behind an offense that scores less than anyone’s. He is projected to start, but it isn’t confirmed.
- Injuries: Bowen Byram (upper body) missed Thursday and is day-to-day. Ryan Ellis is out for the season.
- Projected lines (via The Athletic’s Scott Powers, per Boston Hockey Now): Kantserov-Bedard-Teravainen, Bertuzzi-Frondell-Donato, Moore-Nazar-Kane and Smith-Greene-Greenway, with Vlasic-Cole, Kaiser-Levshunov and Korchinski-Rinzel on defense.
The Bruins: Elite Defense, Two Quiet Games
Marco Sturm’s team is 9-4-1 and has won seven of its last 10. It allows 2.29 goals per game, the second-best mark in the NHL, and scores 3.57, eighth. The recent trend is the one worry: Boston has lost two straight, scoring one goal in each.
- Goalies: Jeremy Swayman (7-3-1, .912) is expected to start, with Michael DiPietro as the backup. The two have combined for a league-high .916 save percentage, per Covers. Sturm announces the lineup about 90 minutes before puck drop, and there is no morning skate.
- Lines from the last game: Peterka-Zacha-Pastrnak, Khusnutdinov-Minten-Geekie, Mittelstadt-Lindholm-Hagens and Jeannot-Poitras-Kastelic, with H. Lindholm-McAvoy, Zadorov-Borgen and Lohrei-Clifton on defense.
- Injuries: None reported.
- History: Boston went 2-0 against Chicago last season, including a 5-2 win in Chicago in which Mason Lohrei scored twice.
- Home record: Boston is 5-1 at TD Garden.
The Matchups That Matter
Chicago’s shot volume against Swayman. Boston’s goalies have been good enough that the Hawks can’t count on a soft goal. They’ll need traffic and rebounds, and 21 shots a night won’t do it.
The Bedard line against Boston’s top pair. Bedard has been the Hawks’ most active forward. Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy are Boston’s top pairing on the last lineup I saw, so I’m watching who gets the matchup.
Special teams. Chicago has the league’s worst power play and Boston’s is 20.9%. One stats page had Boston near the top of the league in penalty minutes per game, so Chicago may get chances. Against Detroit, the Hawks lost the special-teams battle, with Raymond’s power-play goal deciding it.
Pastrnak and Zacha against Chicago’s pairings. Peterka-Zacha-Pastrnak is the line to worry about. The Hawks allow 4.0 goals per game, and a top line that wants to end a two-game slump is a bad draw.
The clock. It’s a noon start for the Hawks after Thursday night’s game, though TheSpread notes both teams had Friday off. I won’t pretend that decides it.
What Actually Decides It
The market treats this as a heavy Boston lean, and I can’t find a reason to disagree. Chicago is 31st in goals scored, has the worst power play and no road win. Boston is second in goals against. Covers’ writer likes the Under 5.5, and Chicago’s games have gone under five straight times.
The Hawks’ best chance is a 2-1 game: Knight keeps it close, Bedard scores or sets one up, and Boston stays in its own funk for another day. That has happened to us before. But with a goal-differential like ours and a record like ours, I’m not going to pick a road win until I see one.
Final Score Prediction: Boston Bruins 3, Chicago Blackhawks 1
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