Gustafsson sat out of the season opener after signing a one-year ticket with the Blackhawks this week. Tonight he'll replace Ian Mitchell, who saw some PP2 time in the opener. Expect Gustafsson to play a minimal role at 5v5 but should see some PP usage.
With both Wyatt Kalynuk and Caleb Jones going down with injuries late in training camp, Gustafsson has been signed to play on the third pair and second power-play unit early the season. After a breakout 60-point (17G / 43A) season in 2019, Gustafsson has struggled to find a stable home. In 95 games since, Gustafsson has tallied just nine goals and 34 assists (41 points) with the Blackhawks, Flames, Flyers and Canadiens.
After sitting as a healthy scratch for the first four games of the series, Gustafsson is expected to replace Brett Kulak in the lineup for Game 5. Gustafsson has collected two assists while plating 13:23 ATOI in five games with the Canadiens.
Gustafsson replaced Shea Weber (upper-body) in the lineup on Friday but Brett Kulak will draw back in to replace Gustafsson on Saturday. Gustafsson has picked up two assists in four games since joining Montreal.
Gustafsson has been held out of Chicago’s lineup since February 19 in lieu of a possible trade. The 27-year-old broke out in a major way last season, scoring 17 times and adding 43 assists in 79 games. Chicago’s struggles on the power-play this year took a particularly harsh toll on Gustafsson’s numbers, as he managed just six goals and 20 assists in 59 games. He is set to become an unrestricted free-agent on July 1st.
Gustafsson is expected to be traded prior to Monday's deadline, so he'll be scratched for a second straight game to make sure he doesn't get hurt. Lucas Carlsson was recalled from Rockford (AHL) to serve as the No.7 defenseman on the road-trip.
The 2019 breakout star has struggled early in 2019-20, picking up just four assists in 11 games. Gustafsson will get a chance to watch from the press box and reset with Adam Boqvist making his NHL debut.
