Happy Halloween! The Chicago Blackhawks (4-9-0) face the Boston Bruins (9-4-1) at TD Garden on Saturday afternoon, as they look to avoid going winless during their two-game dad’s trip. The game is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on CHSN.

Saturday’s matinee marks the first of two meetings between the Blackhawks and Bruins this season, with the finale scheduled for New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2027. The United Center will host another afternoon tilt between the two teams, with the game scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT.

The Blackhawks are coming off another underwhelming performance on Thursday, losing 4-1 to the Detroit Red Wings and falling to 0-5-0 on the road this season. Connor Bedard opened the scoring for Chicago at the 6-minute mark, but that was all the offense they produced at Little Caesars Arena. That’s now five straight games in which they’ve scored two goals or fewer.

The Bruins are off to a stout 9-4-1 start to the season, but enter Saturday’s game with back-to-back losses. Boston fell 2-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. Head coach Marco Sturm’s offense was kept in check during the quick two-game road trip.

However, Boston is back at TD Garden, where they have a formidable 5-1-0 record this year. They’ve also outscored their opponents 27-8 in six home games. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have been outscored 23-7 on the road this season.

The Bruins are currently the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, while the Blackhawks are the second-worst team in the Western Conference. Between the teams, it’s been a tale of two vastly different starts to the 2026-27 campaign. Boston looks well on their way to contending for the Atlantic Division title, while the Blackhawks look like bottom-feeders yet again.

Here’s everything else to know before the puck drops at 12:00 p.m. CT in Boston.

Blackhawks Projected Lineup

Roman Kantserov — Connor Bedard — Teuvo Teravainen

Tyler Bertuzzi — Anton Frondell — Ryan Donato

Oliver Moore — Frank Nazar — Patrick Kane

Cole Smith — Ryan Greene — Jordan Greenway

Alex Vlasic — Ian Cole

Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov

Kevin Korchinski — Sam Rinzel

D — Ethan Del Mastro, F — Andrew Mangiapane

D — Bowen Byram (upper body)

***

The Blackhawks did not practice on Friday and will not hold a morning skate. The forward lines and defensive pairings listed above are from Thursday’s loss in Detroit.

Bowen Byram has yet to shed the non-contact sweater during recent practices and morning skates, making it unlikely he’ll return against the Bruins. Byram is projected to miss his seventh straight game.

Bruins Projected Lineup

JJ Peterka — Pavel Zacha — David Pastrnak

Marat Khusnutdinov — Fraser Minten — Morgan Geekie

Casey Mittelstadt — Elias Lindholm — James Hagens

Tanner Jeannot — Matthew Poitras — Mark Kastelic

Hampus Lindholm — Charlie McAvoy

Nikita Zadorov — Will Borgen

Mason Lohrei — Connor Clifton

D — Jonathan Aspirot, D — Frederic Brunet, F — Sean Kuraly

None

Projected Goaltending Matchup

Soderblom is projected to make his third start of the season and first in 23 days. In his last start on Oct. 8, the 27-year-old allowed three goals on 15 shots, earning the loss to the New York Islanders. Soderblom is 1-2-1 with a 3.31 GAA and .893 Sv% in four career games against Boston.

DiPietro could make his fourth start of the season for the Bruins, with the Vegas Golden Knights next on the schedule Monday. Boston could want starter Jeremy Swayman in net against the reigning Western Conference champions.

In his last start on Oct. 22, DiPietro stopped all 28 shots faced, recording his first NHL shutout against the Nashville Predators. The 27-year-old hasn’t faced the Blackhawks in his NHL career.

2025-26 Results vs. Bruins

The Bruins won both matchups last season, outscoring the Blackhawks 9-5. Since the start of 2020, Boston has won nine of 11 meetings with Chicago. They’ve outscored the Hawks 38-25 during that stretch.