Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 25 March, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Seattle Kraken at Chicago Blackhawks: game preview

Puck drop28 Mar · 2:00 PM ET
VenueUnited Center
All-time meetings15 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Seven points apart last season

Seattle finished last season 27th in the league on 79 points. Chicago finished 31st on 72.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 16

Across 15 completed games, Seattle lead the head-to-head 10-5-0.

All-time record10-5-0Seattle's record in the series
Meetings played15This is number 16
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Seattle
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Apr 2026CHI 4 – SEA 2——CHI
20 Nov 2025SEA 3 – CHI 2——SEA
3 Nov 2025CHI 1 – SEA 3——SEA
18 Mar 2025SEA 6 – CHI 2——SEA
19 Dec 2024SEA 1 – CHI 3——CHI
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSeattleChicago
3 Nov 20256-2-4 · 16 pts8th5-5-3 · 13 pts27th
20 Nov 202510-5-5 · 25 pts8th10-6-4 · 24 pts13th
4 Apr 202632-32-11 · 75 pts28th28-35-14 · 70 pts31st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 3 Nov 2025, Seattle were 8th in the league and Chicago 27th. By 4 Apr 2026 it was 28th and 31st.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Chicago out-attempted Seattle 176 to 155

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Seattle Kraken

155 att · 78 on goal · 8 G · 10.3%
Crease14 att · 3 G
Slot57 att · 4 G
Wing46 att · 0 G
Point27 att · 1 G
Neutral zone11 att · 0 G

Chicago Blackhawks

176 att · 85 on goal · 7 G · 8.2%
Crease18 att · 1 G
Slot62 att · 5 G
Wing67 att · 1 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone9 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Chicago have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

SeattleChicago
2.60xG for per game2.41
3.14xG against per game3.83
45.3%xG share38.7%
+4.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.7
+1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.7

This season: 4 games for Seattle, 4 for Chicago. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Seattle

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 20th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2672.2% · 31st
Faceoffs · 2026-2749.6% · 121/244
Drawn · 2026-2712 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Chicago

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2711.1%
Power play · 2025-2616.9% · 29th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2763.6%
Penalty kill · 2025-2683.6% · 2nd
Faceoffs · 2026-2742.1% · 99/235
Drawn · 2026-279 (2.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
19Jared McCann41451.25
7Jordan Eberle42241.00
16Anton Frondell41341.00
59Tyler Bertuzzi41120.50
91Frank Nazar41120.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
29Vince Dunn41341.00
62Brandon Montour40220.50
41Ryker Evans40220.50
72Alex Vlasic40220.50
6Sam Rinzel31010.33
44Wyatt Kaiser40110.25
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 27 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 26 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Seattle crease

SEA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 25 Mar

Joey Daccord.9113 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.0
Philipp Grubauer.9062 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +1.1

No appearances against Chicago in the last meetings.

Chicago crease

CHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 25 Mar

Spencer Knight.8913 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.5
Arvid Soderblom.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.0

No appearances against Seattle in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

4 Apr 20266 · CHI 4–2 SEA
20 Nov 20255 · SEA 3–2 CHI
3 Nov 20254 · CHI 1–3 SEA
18 Mar 20258 · SEA 6–2 CHI
19 Dec 20244 · SEA 1–3 CHI

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Seattle3.752.752.763.21
Chicago2.254.252.603.35

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Seattle · injuries

Jacob MelansonUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
Jake O'BrienLower BodyIRReturn24 Oct
Ryan LindgrenUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn9 Oct

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct
Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov
Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct
3 Oct · SEA

Activated RW/C Mackie Samoskevich from injured reserve. Placed RW Jacob Melanson on injured reserve.

27 Sep · SEA

Placed C Jake O'Brien and RW Mackie Samoskevich on injured reserve.

21 Sep · SEA

Placed F Jon-Randall Avon, F John Hayden, F Logan Morrison and G Victor Ostman on waivers.

3 Oct · CHI

Assigned D Charles Alexis Legault to Chicago (AHL).

24 Sep · CHI

Agreed to terms with F Oliver Moore on a five-year contract extension. Loaned Fs Jiri felcman, Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker and D Dylan Anhorn to Rockford (AHL). Assigned F Brett Seney to Rockford.

21 Sep · CHI

Placed D Derrick Pouliot on waivers.

Injury report
#7Chase ReidRound 1 · Sault Ste. MarieD
#38Casey MutrynRound 2 · Usa U-18RW
#99Viktor FedorovRound 4 · Torpedo-gorky NnC
#131Finn KearnsRound 5 · St. Andrews CollegeD
Full draft
#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD
#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW
#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D
#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD
Full draft

Updated after every final