McElhinney practiced on Saturday and Sunday after missing the first few weeks of the season on the COVID-19 protocol list. With an extended period of time on the sideline, it seems unlikely that McElhinney will start on Monday but he could make his season debut in the Lightning's back-to-back next Monday/Tuesday.
McElhinney has missed the first five games of the seasons but is expected to return as Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup on Saturday. The Lightning don't have a back-to-back until February 8th/9th, so that may mark McElhinney's first start of the season.
McElhinney allowed three goals on 27 shots in the Lightning's win in Colorado on February 17th. McElhinney is riding a three-game winning streak, posting a 1.31 GAA and .955 SV%. He'll look to stay hot vs. a Chicago team that has gone 2-7-2 while scoring 2.64 goals per game in their last 11 games.