Fresh off a huge 4-0 win in Dallas on Thursday, the Jets are in Chicago tonight for their final road game of the 2024-25 regular season. Now up by 6 points on the Stars in the Central Division, the Jets have the chance with a win over the Blackhawks tonight to clinch 1st place in both the Central Division and in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks are playing their final home game of the regular season, so they’ll be looking to give their fans a win on their “fan appreciation” night. The Jets will also be looking to sweep the season series against the Blackhawks, winning the previous matchups this season 2-1 and 4-2.

Jets fans will be happy to learn that the Washington Capitals lost 7-0 earlier today, meaning the Jets remain 3 points ahead of them at the top of the NHL league standings. While the President’s Trophy would be a nice bonus to remember this great season, the Jets are only focused on winning tonight, which would clinch them home ice advantage throughout the entire playoffs in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks have less on the line tonight, as they’re confirmed to finish 2nd last in the league unless the Sharks win their remaining 3 games. It’s been a tough season for the rebuilding Blackhawks, but the players will continue to play competitively as some will be fighting for roster spots next season.

While this may seem like an “easy win” on paper for the Jets, they’ll still need to play a full 60 minutes in order to get the job done tonight in Chicago. The Jets have a 9-0-1 record in their last 10 matchups against the Blackhawks, with most of these games being relatively low scoring. The last time these two teams met was back in December in Chicago, when the Jets won 4-2. The Blackhawks roster looks a fair bit different then it did back then, so the Jets may need to make some slight adjustments in order to continue their success against this Central Division team.

The expected starting goalies for tonight’s game are Connor Hellebuyck and Spencer Knight. Hellebuyck is up to 45 wins on the season now, setting a Jets franchise record. While the possibility is there for Hellebuyck to potentially tie the NHL record of 48 wins in a season, the Jets will prioritize him being ready for the playoffs, meaning this may be his last (or 2nd last) start of the regular season. With a back-to-back coming up, the Jets will very likely start Eric Comrie against the Oilers tomorrow. Knight gets the start for Chicago, and he’s played pretty well for them since being acquired from the Panthers. Knight holds a 16-16-2 record with a 2.69 GAA and a .900 SV% with 2 shutouts.

In terms of the Jets lineup tonight, they’ll be going with the same pairings as they did in Dallas on Thursday. Gabriel Vilardi remains the only Jets regular out with an injury, as the team continues to fine tune what the lineup will look like on game 1 of the playoffs. Tonight’s game will be a chance for the Jets to show they’re fully ready for the playoffs, as they head home for their final 2 games of the regular season after tonight’s game. Puck drop will be slightly after 6 pm CT at United Center, and check back here at Jets Nation following the game for a recap on tonight’s Saturday night hockey action.

Connor – Scheifele – Iafallo

Ehlers – Namestnikov – Perfetti

Niederreiter – Lowry – Appleton

Tanev – Barron – Anderson-Dolan

Morrissey – DeMelo

Samberg – Pionk

Stanley – Schenn

Hellebuyck

Comrie