Blues at Blackhawks
THE STORY: The Chicago Blackhawks are doing their best to turn the corner following a season-high nine-game losing skid. Joel Quenneville's club salvaged its pronounced road trip with a pair of wins – the latter being Saturday's 6-1 triumph over the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets. Chicago will look to keep the good times going when it opens a three-game homestand against the Central Division rival St. Louis Blues on Sunday afternoon.
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC
ABOUT THE BLUES (36-15-7): St. Louis posted its sixth win in seven matches with a 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Blues, the NHL's schedule makers are forcing them to leave the Gateway City, where they have secured at least one point in a franchise-record 21 straight contests. The road has produced far different results for St. Louis, which has lost 15 of 25 matches this season (10-12-3). All-Star G Brian Elliott, who was required to stop just 13 shots on Saturday, may receive another start with Jaroslav Halak battling the flu. Elliott is 1-1-1 in his career versus the Blackhawks, but yielded four goals in a 5-2 loss on Dec. 3.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (31-21-7): While Chicago has struggled of late, the United Center has proven to be a safe haven for the home residents. The Blackhawks have collected points in 23 of 29 contests this season (19-6-4). Jonathan Toews is certainly leading by example, recording two goals and three assists in his team's modest two-game winning streak. The captain both scored and set up a goal in the teams' last meeting. Viktor Stalberg will miss playing the Blue Jackets, against whom the 26-year-old Swede has scored half of his 16 goals this season. Stalberg has just one goal in eight career games versus the Blues.
OVERTIME:
1. St. Louis is making its first national television appearance since Jan. 13, 2007. Then-Blues defenseman Dennis Wideman scored midway through the third period to lift his squad to a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on that day.
2. Blackhawks D Sami Lepisto netted his first goal in over 13 months when he tallied on Saturday. His last goal came on Jan. 15, 2011, when he was a member of the Phoenix Coyotes.