Though McNeill brings a new face to the locker room, the Blackhawks will see a pair of familiar faces on the opposing bench. Carolina forwards Kris Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom are less than a year removed from winning the Stanley Cup with Chicago. Versteeg, who has been traded from the Blackhawks twice after winning championships, has a greater appreciation for his ex-teammates now than when he wore the same sweater.
"When you get traded and you look back on teams, you really see how that team was built and how good they are," said Versteeg, who is second on the Hurricanes with 30 points. "You take things for granted, I think. When you come back and you see a lineup with those guys' names on the board, you realize how special it was to play there. But you also realize you have to be ready and at your best to beat them."
Chicago forward Patrick Kane knows what Versteeg brings to a team. Along with Brad Richards, the three veteran forwards formed a line that was an offensive force for the Blackhawks last season.
"He's a great teammate, great for the locker room," said Kane, who leads the League in points with 73. "I was very close to him the first time he was here and the second time as well. He's one of those guys that brought life to the room. He had a good time playing hockey and he was very good at doing it."
The Hurricanes defeated the Blackhawks 2-1 on Dec. 27, Chicago's first game back from the Christmas break.
"They're in every single hockey game," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "They play the right way. We saw it coming out of the break. They've got some speed and quickness. They've got some guys who are familiar with us. I'm sure they're excited about playing us."
Here are the projected lineups:
BLACKHAWKS
Andrew Shaw - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa
Artemi Panarin - Artem Anisimov - Patrick Kane
Andrew Desjardins - Phillip Danault - Teuvo Teravainen
Richard Panik - Dennis Rasmussen - Mark McNeill
Niklas Hjalmarsson - Duncan Keith
Erik Gustafsson - Brent Seabrook
Trevor van Riemsdyk - Rob Scuderi
Corey Crawford
Scott Darling
Injured: Marcus Kruger (wrist fracture)
Scratched: Jiri Sekac, Michal Rozsival, Brandon Mashinter
HURRICANES
Kris Versteeg - Eric Staal - Phillip Di Giuseppe
Jeff Skinner - Victor Rask - Elias Lindholm
Joakim Nordstrom - Jordan Staal - Andrej Nestrasil
Chris Terry - Jay McClement - Brad Malone
John-Michael Liles - Justin Faulk
Ron Hainsey - Brett Pesce
Noah Hanifin - Jaccob Slavin
Eddie Lack
Daniel Altshuller
Injured: Cam Ward (concussion), James Wisniewski (knee)
Scratched: Michal Jordan, Nathan Gerbe, Riley Nash
Status report: Carolina coach Bill Peters said everyone is a possibility to play against the Blackhawks, but the Hurricanes have several players who are nursing injuries. ...Ward skated for the second straight day. Peters believes he will be available when the Hurricanes come out of the All-Star break.
Who's hot: Kane has 10 points in his past six games. ... Crawford has won 10 of his past 11 starts. ...Versteeg had two goals in a 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Sunday. ... Nordstrom has scored in each of Carolina's past two games.
