Wild at Blackhawks
Patrick Kane will attempt to extend his point streak to 20 games on Tuesday when the Chicago Blackhawks return to the United Center to face the Central Division-rival Minnesota Wild. Kane has collected 11 goals and 20 assists on his point streak, which is two games shy of the franchise record and the most in the NHL since Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby's 25-game stretch from Nov. 5-Dec. 28, 2010.
Kane's sizzling stretch helped the Blackhawks finish with a 3-1-2 mark on their season-high six-game road trip. "Pretty amazing how he's game-in, game-out, shift-in, shift-out, what he's been doing with the puck, generating, creating," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. While the Blackhawks are happy to play in front of the home folks for the time in 16 days, the Wild have been singing a different tune with losses in six of the last seven contests overall (1-4-2) and seven of 10 on the road (3-4-3). Minnesota has been left to stew since Saturday after watching a three-goal lead go by the boards in a 4-3 overtime loss to division rival Dallas.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CSN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE WILD (11-7-4): Never shy with his words, coach Mike Yeo gathered his charges during Monday's practice and had them work on their defensive-zone drills since "they spend all night in the defensive zone anyway," according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "It was not designed to be a fun practice," Yeo told the newspaper. "It’s about looking in the mirror, and we’re not good enough right now, and it’s about some harsh reality - and that’s not fun. It’s not fun to hear, it’s not fun to accept, but winners respond." One curious move in practice was Yeo's pairing of left-shot defensemen Ryan Suter and Jonas Brodin, with the former openly questioning the switch to reporters afterward.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (13-8-3): While not as hot as Kane, defenseman Duncan Keith hasn't been too shabby in his own right - recording four goals and as many assists in eight games since returning from a knee injury. Corey Crawford has stopped 50-of-54 shots to post consecutive wins before sitting out the team's 3-2 overtime setback to Los Angeles on Saturday. The two-time Jennings Trophy winner was also a spectator when Chicago dropped a 5-4 decision in Minnesota on Oct. 30, but he won all four games and posted a 1.75 goals-against average and .946 save percentage during last season's second-round series with the Wild.
OVERTIME
1. Minnesota D Marco Scandella is expected to return on Tuesday after being sidelined for five games with a lower-body injury.
2. Chicago has scored at least one power-play goal in eight of its last 10 contests.
3. Wild G Devan Dubnyk, who is expected to start on Tuesday, has permitted at least three goals in five of his last six outings.