The Chicago Blackhawks and the Phoenix Coyotes square off at 7 p.m. CDT on Thursday night, but both teams will be dealing with a number of key absences. Injuries and suspensions have forced the 'Hawks to scramble their lines, and according to NHL.com, the Coyotes will once again sit C Martin Hanzal and LW Lauri Korpikoski.
The duo are suffering from undisclosed injuries and have not played since Saturday night. Hanzal, who played 64 games during the 2011-12 NHL Regular Season, had the team's lowest shot percentage (5.5%) among the Coyotes' forwards, but he also finished the season with 26 assists, good for 5th most on the team.
Korpikoski ranked 6th in assists with 20 and played in all 82 games for the Coyotes. He finished the year with an 11.6% shooting percentage to go with 37 points overall.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Blackhawks blog Second City Hockey and Coyotes blog Five For Howling. For more NHL Playoffs coverage, head over to SB Nation's NHL news hub.