Blackhawks at Oilers
After quite the misstep in the opener of their season-high seven-game road trip, the Chicago Blackhawks vie for their third straight win on Monday when they visit the Edmonton Oilers. Chicago answered Tuesday's disheartening 5-1 loss to Colorado with a 6-3 victory over Winnipeg two nights later and a 2-1 triumph over Vancouver on Saturday. Andrew Shaw and Marcus Kruger scored nine seconds apart in the third period to highlight the Blackhawks' latest victory.
A third-period uprising is nothing new for Chicago, which scored three times in that session en route to a 5-4 win over Edmonton on Nov. 10. The Oilers are looking to complete a successful three-game homestand after breezing to a 7-0 rout of Columbus on Tuesday before posting a 4-1 victory over Florida two nights later. "We're on a bit of a run here and feeling confidence about our game, so any time you get a really good team coming in - it's nice to test yourself," Edmonton's Jordan Eberle said.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, CSCH (Chicago), RSW (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (16-4-4): Patrick Kane notched an assist versus Vancouver to extend his point streak to 10 games. The Conn Smythe Trophy recipient has collected five goals and nine assists in the stretch and also set up a tally in the teams' previous meeting. Kane has drilled the Oilers in his career, scoring nine times and setting up 22 others in 24 career contests.
ABOUT THE OILERS (7-15-2): David Perron has been brilliant in his last three games, recording four goals and two assists to fuel Edmonton's winning streak. Perron joined Eberle by both scoring and setting up a tally against Chicago two weeks ago. Eberle has secured five points in his last three contests.
OVERTIME
1. Chicago RW Marian Hossa's status for Monday's tilt remains in limbo after he missed Saturday's contest due to a family matter.
2. Should Hossa sit out, veteran C Michal Handzus is in line to return after a 14-game absence with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
3. Edmonton is a sizzling 5-for-9 on the power play in its last two games.