Matchup of recent champions for Kings and Blackhawks on Monday

Greetings from the United Center, which is undergoing construction that will create an atrium and new offices for the Blackhawks. The Michael Jordan statue that used to stand outside the entrance has been relocated, but it still draws lots of visitors and cameras.

On the ice, the Kings — who are riding a seven-game winning streak -- had an optional morning skate in advance of their Monday night game against the Blackhawks. The matchup creates an intriguing situation. The Blackhawks began their current successful era by winning the Stanley Cup in 2010. The Boston Bruins won the Cup in 2011 — with current Kings winger Milan Lucic on their roster — and since then, the Kings and Blackhawks have alternated as champions each season, with the Kings winning in 2012, the Blackhawks in 2013, the Kings again in 2014 and the Blackhawks last spring.

That means there will be a lot of Stanley Cup experience and Stanley Cup bling in the United Center on Monday night, making this a game worth looking forward to as more than merely one of 82.

“It’s pretty cool, and obviously we hope to win this year, too,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “It’s always fun to come and play here. We have a kind of quiet rivalry with these guys. We absolutely love to play against them and to beat them. It’s always fun coming to Chicago and coming to this arena and hopefully trying to steal two points.”

Salary-cap considerations have led the Blackhawks to change their roster quite a lot since their triumph in June. They’ve lost core player Patrick Sharp, who was a three-time Cup winner, as well as defenseman Johnny Oduya and forwards Brandon Saad, Brad Richards, Kris Versteeg and Antoine Vermette. In addition, defenseman Duncan Keith has recently been out of their lineup following knee surgery and winger Marian Hossa is expected to miss Monday’s game because of an undisclosed injury.

Because of all that, youngsters have been thrust into key roles. Forward Marko Dano, 20, beat out veteran Bryan Bickell for a third-line spot when Bickell was assigned to the American Hockey League on Monday. Artemi Panarin, one of Jonathan Toews’ wingers, has 11 games’ NHL experience and defenseman Erik Gustafsson made his NHL debut last Friday. Still, somehow, the Blackhawks seem to maintain their excellence.

“They always seem to find a way,” Kings defenseman Christian Ehrhoff said. “When you look at their three Cup teams, the core was still there in all three but the supporting cast was different every time. They always seem to find a way to bring in guys that can step up and fulfill what the other guys that left brought.

“So they are still a top team in the league, and for us, nothing changes. We know they’re a good home team and we have to be ready from the start.”

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