The injury-riddled Chicago Blackhawks will get a pair of reinforcements back in the lineup on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche. Colin Blackwell will make his 2023-24 season debut and MacKenzie Entwistle is set to return from a two-game absence.
Blackwell hasn't played in an NHL game since Feb. 27, 2023. The veteran forward's first season with the Blackhawks was cut short due to sports hernia surgery. His initial recovery timeline would have put him on track to return during training camp, but that scenario didn't come to fruition and he began the season on injured reserve.
However, the 30-year-old is finally healthy and will return to a Blackhawks' lineup that needs reinforcements. Blackwell, who posted 10 points in 53 games last season, will skate on the Blackhawks' third line against the Avalanche on Tuesday.
Entwistle played his way into a regular bottom-six role for the Blackhawks before an illness kept him out of the last two games. The big winger has five points (two goals, three assists) in 21 contests so far this season.
Entwistle is slated to center the Blackhawks' fourth line against Colorado on Tuesday.
The Blackhawks still have a lengthy injury report that features seven names, but getting Colin Blackwell and MacKenzie Entwistle back in action is a positive development.
Tuesday's game against the Avalanche will start at 7:30 PM CT and air on NBC Sports Chicago.
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