DiPietro Starts as Bruins Host Blackhawks in Afternoon Original Six Matchup
Michael DiPietro gets the start as Boston opens a two-game homestand against a Chicago team still seeking its first road win.
Boston opens its two-game homestand with a chance to reset after consecutive losses, while Chicago arrives searching for its first road win of the season. The Bruins host the Blackhawks at 1 p.m. Saturday in the first of two holiday matinees between the clubs.
Marco Sturm confirmed Michael DiPietro as Boston’s starter and said Sean Kuraly and Jonathan Aspirot will enter the lineup for Matt Poitras and Mason Lohrei. The Bruins did not hold a morning skate, so the listed combinations draw partly on the previous game’s lines. Chicago’s projected groupings also come from its last game, and Arvid Soderblom’s status remains unconfirmed.
Boston looks to turn strong season form into goals
The Bruins are 9-4-1 and lead the Atlantic Division by one point over Montreal, which plays Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Boston has won seven of its last 10, but its latest stretch includes two straight defeats in which it scored once in each game. The challenge against Chicago is clear: get the attack back on track without losing the defensive structure that has carried the team through the opening weeks.
Boston averages 3.57 goals per game, eighth in the league, and allows 2.29, the NHL’s second-best rate. Those numbers frame the matchup with a Chicago offense that has struggled to produce. The Blackhawks are 4-9-0, have lost four of their last five and rank 31st with 2.08 goals per game. They have scored no more than two goals in each of their past five games.
Chicago’s road record adds another pressure point: it is 0-5-0 away from United Center, the only team in the league without a road win. Its power play has also converted only four times on 40 chances, a 10.0% rate that ranks 32nd. Boston’s power play sits at 20.9% (16th), while its penalty kill is at 77.6% (18th). Chicago’s penalty kill is 78.0%, ranked 17th.
Boston won both meetings last season. Fraser Minten scored the overtime winner in the game in Boston, and Mason Lohrei scored twice in the Bruins’ 5-2 win in Chicago. That history gives the home side a recent edge, though the current matchup turns on whether the Bruins can create more than the two teams’ recent scoring trends suggest.
DiPietro gets the confirmed start
DiPietro is listed at 2-1-0, with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. His start is the clearest confirmed change from Boston’s prior lineup, with Kuraly and Aspirot also drawing in. Kuraly is slotted between Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic, while Aspirot is paired with Lohrei in the posted defensive combinations.
The Bruins’ forward group has David Pastrnak alongside Pavel Zacha and JJ Peterka on the top line. Marat Khusnutdinov, Minten and Morgan Geekie make up the next trio, followed by Casey Mittelstadt, Elias Lindholm and James Hagens. Boston’s listed defense pairs are Hampus Lindholm with Charlie McAvoy, Nikita Zadorov with Will Borgen, and Aspirot with Lohrei.
Chicago’s projected top line features Roman Kantserov, Connor Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen. Tyler Bertuzzi, Anton Frondell and Ryan Donato form the second trio; Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar and Patrick Kane are listed on the third. Cole Smith, Ryan Greene and Jordan Greenway complete the forward group.
On defense, Chicago’s projected pairs are Alex Vlasic with Ian Cole, Wyatt Kaiser with Artyom Levshunov, and Kevin Korchinski with Sam Rinzel. Soderblom is listed as the expected goalie, but his start has not been confirmed. His posted record is 0-2-0, with a 4.58 goals-against average and an .820 save percentage.
Game details and schedule
The game starts at 1 p.m. NESN will carry the broadcast, with SN1 listed for Canadian viewers. Radio coverage is on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
This is the first of two meetings scheduled in the season series. Boston hosts Chicago on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m.; the return game is Friday, Jan. 1, in Chicago at 3 p.m. The Bruins’ upcoming schedule continues Monday, Nov. 2, at home against Vegas, followed by a Nov. 5 visit to Pittsburgh. They then host Florida on Nov. 8, Montreal on Nov. 12 and Minnesota on Nov. 14.
For Boston, the immediate measure is whether the lineup changes and home ice help restore its scoring touch. Chicago needs a stronger road performance and a productive power play to challenge a Bruins team that has defended well all season.
