Blackhawks at Canucks
THE STORY: One of the fiercest rivalries in the Western Conference resumes Wednesday night when the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Vancouver Canucks in a battle of former playoff foes. The teams have met in the postseason in back-to-back years, with the Blackhawks prevailing in 2010 on the way to the Stanley Cup championship. Vancouver returned the favor a year later, ending Chicago's quest for a repeat on the way to its own berth in the final. The teams met for the first time this season back on Nov. 6, with the Canucks cruising to a 6-2 road victory in what remains the Blackhawks' lone regulation home loss. Vancouver will have backup netminder Cory Schneider between the pipes Wednesday night as starter Roberto Luongo recovers from an upper-body injury. The game marks the opener of Chicago's annual circus road trip, with Barnum and Bailey taking over the United Center.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Rogers Sportsnet Pacific
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (11-4-3): The Blackhawks come in on a three-game winning streak during which they've outscored their opponents 16-7. The run has Chicago four points clear of the Nashville Predators atop the Central Division with a game in hand. Discipline will be the key Wednesday night for Chicago, which surrendered five power-play goals to the Canucks in their previous encounter. Penalty killing has been one of the lone weak spots for the Blackhawks, who sit 26th in the league.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (9-8-1): Schneider will be making his first career regular-season start against the Blackhawks. He hasn't fared well against them in his career, posting a 3.96 goals-against average in four appearances - three of which have come during the postseason. Vancouver's special teams have been sensational season, as the club sits second in power-play efficiency at 26.7 percent. The Canucks have man-advantage goals in each of their previous five encounters.
OVERTIME:
1. Corey Crawford will get the start in goal for the Blackhawks. Crawford is 1-1 with a 3.50 goals-against average in two regular-season meetings with Vancouver.
2. Chicago D Brent Seabrook may miss the game with a lower-body injury suffered in the second period of Sunday's 6-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. He's considered day-to-day.