The Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks meet for the second time in 11 days on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. CT at the United Center. Chicago rolled 4-0 in Alberta earlier this month, powered by a four-point night from Connor Bedard and 33-save shutout from Spencer Knight. Since then the Hawks have surged to 9-5-4, while the Flames remain anchored to the league basement at 5-12-3. Below is the full projected lineup for Calgary Flames vs Chicago Blackhawks on November 18 2025, plus injury updates, goaltending matchup and betting angles.
Calgary Flames vs Chicago Blackhawks projected lineup November 18 2025: forward combinations
Flames coach Ryan Huska is expected to keep his top line intact despite the team’s ongoing scoring woes. The trio of Jonathan Huberdeau, Morgan Frost and rookie Matt Coronato combined for six shots in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Winnipeg but has yet to produce a five-on-five goal in the last four games.
- Jonathan Huberdeau – Morgan Frost – Matt Coronato
- Yegor Sharangovich – Nazem Kadri – Joel Farabee
- Connor Zary – Mikael Backlund – Blake Coleman
- Ryan Lomberg – Sam Morton – Adam Klapka
Backlund skipped the morning skate for maintenance, yet team reporters insist the veteran pivot will dress. AHL recall Sam Morton draws back in after sitting the last two as a healthy scratch. The Flames have scored only seven goals during their current 0-3-1 slide, so Huska is hoping Morton’s straight-line style injects some energy on the fourth unit.
Calgary Flames vs Chicago Blackhawks projected lineup November 18 2025: defensive pairs & goaltender
Calgary’s blue line remains banged-up. Rookie phenom Zayne Parekh (upper body) is week-to-week, so Kevin Bahl stays alongside Rasmus Andersson on the top pair. Yan Kuznetsov, recalled last week, continues to skate with MacKenzie Weegar, while Jake Bean and Brayden Pachal make up the third tandem.
- Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson
- Yan Kuznetsov – MacKenzie Weegar
- Jake Bean – Brayden Pachal
Dustin Wolf gets the call in goal for his 18th start already this season. The 2025 Calder runner-up is 5-10-2 with a 3.01 GAA and one shutout. Wolf’s career numbers versus Chicago are respectable (3-1-0, 2.77 GAA), but he’ll need far more support in front of him after the Flames allowed 40 high-danger chances in their last outing.
Chicago Blackhawks projected lineup November 18 2025: Bedard line stays hot
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill has the luxury of rolling out the league’s second-leading scorer. Connor Bedard (10 G, 16 A) torched Calgary earlier this month and enters Tuesday on a five-game point streak. Rookie Ryan Greene continues to ride shotgun; the 19-year-old scored his first NHL goal against Detroit last week.
- Ryan Greene – Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky
- Oliver Moore – Frank Nazar – Teuvo Teravainen
- Colton Dach – Ryan Donato – Ilya Mikheyev
- Landon Slaggert – Sam Lafferty
Veteran center Nick Foligno (left hand) was placed on injured reserve Monday, so Slaggert slides into the 4C role and the Hawks will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen for balance.
Chicago Blackhawks blue line & goaltender November 18 2025
Rookie Artyom Levshunov has quickly become a fan favorite, logging 22:34 per night over his first nine games. He and Wyatt Kaiser form the second pair, while Alex Vlasic and Louis Crevier draw the shutdown assignment against Huberdeau.
- Alex Vlasic – Louis Crevier
- Wyatt Kaiser – Artyom Levshunov
- Matt Grzelcyk – Connor Murphy
Sam Rinzel returns after sitting Saturday as a healthy scratch. With only 11 healthy forwards, expect Rinzel to double-shift on the fourth line at times.
In goal, Arvid Soderblom gets the nod. The 26-year-old Swedish netminder is 2-2-1 with a sparkling .913 save percentage and was brilliant in his last start, stopping 45 of 46 shots to beat Detroit. Soderblom is 0-1-0 lifetime against Calgary but owns a .902 SV% in that lone appearance.
Injury report & roster notes for November 18 2025
Calgary Flames injuries
- Martin Pospisil – undisclosed, IR
- Zayne Parekh – upper body, week-to-week
- Samuel Honzek – upper body, IR
Scratched: Joel Hanley (D), Dryden Hunt (F)
Chicago Blackhawks injuries
- Nick Foligno – left hand, IR
- Tyler Bertuzzi – undisclosed, doubtful
- Jason Dickinson – upper body, IR
- Laurent Brossoit – hip, IR
Scratched: none
Bertuzzi did not take part in the morning skate and is expected to miss a second straight game. His absence opens the door for Moore to remain in the top-nine.
Special-teams matchup & key stats
Calgary’s power play has been historically bad through 20 games, clicking at just 11.9% (32nd). The Flames have surrendered five shorthanded goals, most in the NHL. Chicago, meanwhile, sits seventh on the man advantage (25%) and boasts the league’s sixth-best penalty kill (84.8%).
- Flames PP: 11.9% (32nd) / PK: 77.3% (24th)
- Blackhawks PP: 25% (7th) / PK: 84.8% (6th)
Discipline will be critical for Calgary; the club has been shorthanded 61 times already, fourth most in the league.
Historical head-to-head trends
Tuesday is the second of three meetings this season. Chicago has dominated the recent series, posting a 16-7-3 record in the last 26 match-ups. Bedard’s four-point outburst on Nov. 7 was the first time a Blackhawks player recorded four points in a single game against Calgary since Patrick Kane in 2019.
Betting angle & fantasy focus
Oddsmakers opened the Blackhawks as -210 home favorites with a total of 6.5. Calgary has played eight of its last ten games under the total, largely because the offense stalls. Fantasy owners should lock in Bedard, who averages 4.2 shots per game and has scored in three straight. On the Flames side, Blake Coleman (7 G) remains their most consistent even-strength threat and skates on a shut-down line that could see heavy exposure to Bedard.
What it means for the standings
A win would vault Chicago into third place in the Central Division with 24 points, keeping pace with Dallas and Colorado. For Calgary, the math is simple: the Flames need points in the worst way. They trail Vegas by 11 for the final wild-card spot in the West and have played more games than every team above them. Dropping a seventh straight in regulation would only intensify trade chatter around veterans like Kadri and Andersson before the March deadline.
Expect a hungry Flames club to come out fast, but the deeper, healthier Blackhawks hold the edge at even strength and on special teams. If Wolf can match Soderblom’s early-season form, Calgary has a puncher’s chance; if not, Bedard and company should make it five wins in six tries on home ice.
For more pre-game reading, check out our previous Flames projected lineups versus Nashville and Minnesota to see how the forward groups have evolved through November.
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Par Mike Jonderson
Mike Jonderson is a passionate hockey analyst and expert in advanced NHL statistics. A former college player and mathematics graduate, he combines his understanding of the game with technical expertise to develop innovative predictive models and contribute to the evolution of modern hockey analytics.