Artem Anisimov out, Scott Darling starts when Blackhawks host Sharks

Artem Anisimov, who suffered an upper-body injury in the first period of Saturday's 6-4 win over the St. Louis Blues and did not return, will not play tonight when the Blackhawks host the San Jose Sharks.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said he remains "day-to-day."

In Anisimov's absence, Vinnie Hinostroza will bump up to the second line with Ryan Hartman and Marian Hossa while Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin will start on the top line with Jonathan Toews after the trio controlled 78.9 percent of the even-strength shot attempts last night.

After being a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career, Tyler Motte will draw back into the lineup and is looking to simplify has game.

"It’s good to kind of get a feel for it from upstairs or in the locker room," Motte said. "You get a different viewpoint of the game. You get to see some of the things you don’t normally get to see, but it’s good to get back in the lineup. And now it’s just my job to go out and compete and make the most of the opportunity and work hard to stay in it."

Scott Darling will earn his ninth consecutive start in goal despite it being the second of a back-to-back.

"We talked about it. It was a good discussion," Quenneville said about the possibility of giving Darling a rest in favor of 29-year-old rookie Lars Johansson. "At the end of it, he came back with another win so we didn't want to change the pattern."

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Darling has fared much better this season at home, where he owns a 5-1-1 record with a 1.96 goals against average, .937 save percentage and one shutout.

The Blackhawks and Sharks are both coming in to the United Center on four-game winning streaks, and have won their last three road games. But the Blackhawks return home, where they've had the most success this season, possessing a 12-2-3 record.

The Sharks, who are atop the Pacific Division with 39 points, are one of the better road teams in the league this season, however, carrying a 9-7-1 record.

They trail the Blackhawks for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference by seven points with two games in hand, and will look to close out their four-game road trip on a high note.

Broadcast information

Time: 6 p.m.

TV: WGN

Radio: WGN 720 AM

Chicago Blackhawks lines

Artemi Panarin-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane

Ryan Hartman-Vinnie Hinostroza-Marian Hossa

Dennis Rasmussen-Marcus Kruger-Richard Panik

Tyler Motte-Andrew Desjardins-Jordin Tootoo

Defensive pairings

Duncan Keith-Niklas Hjalmarsson

Brian Campbell-Brent Seabrook