Canadiens at Blackhawks
It’s been a season filled with memorable performances for NHL scoring leader Patrick Kane, and he finally notched his first career regular-season hat trick last time out. Kane looks for an encore as his Chicago Blackhawks go after their 11th consecutive victory when the snake-bitten Montreal Canadiens pay them a visit on Sunday.
Kane has scored five goals in his last four contests and is two away from his career high of 30 set in 2009-10 to lead Chicago, which has recorded 38 tallies during its 10-game run. Corey Crawford, who was rested in Friday’s 4-1 triumph over Toronto, is expected to start with a personal seven-game winning streak on the line. Montreal registered a season-high 49 shots Saturday before coughing up a third-period lead in a 4-3 overtime loss at St. Louis to fall to 4-14-1 since Dec. 3. The Canadiens posted 40 shots against the Blackhawks on Thursday in a 2-1 loss at home as Crawford, a Montreal native, shut the door.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, RDS (Montreal), WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (23-18-4): Defenseman P.K. Subban, who leads the team in assists (28), notched his third goal of the season in St. Louis while Tomas Plekanec notched two points to give him six in as many contests. Subban’s tally came on the power play as Montreal scored with the man advantage for only the third time in 30 opportunities over its last 10 games. Captain Max Pacioretty leads the team with 35 points after notching a goal and an assist Saturday, but Alex Galchenyuk has recorded one point and a minus-6 rating in six contests.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (30-13-4): Kane, who has two postseason hat tricks, has amassed 67 points - 13 more than anyone else in the league entering Saturday - but Chicago’s surge has involved several players increasing their production. Captain Jonathan Toews has posted seven points in the last five games and 12 in 11 while two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith has collected 10 points in as many contests with a plus-8 rating in that span. Artemi Panarin has been a huge addition this season with 42 points - the most among all NHL rookies.
OVERTIME
1. The Blackhawks have gained at least one point in eight straight games in the series (6-0-2).
2. Montreal G Ben Scrivens, who has allowed seven goals in two games since being acquired from Edmonton, is expected to start Sunday.
3. Chicago LW Bryan Bickell, who has been limited to two points in 23 contests, was placed on waivers Saturday.