Blackhawks at Red Wings
One night after having a pair of winning streaks snapped, the Chicago Blackhawks hope to extend another as they vie for their franchise-record ninth straight road victory Friday against the Original Six-rival Detroit Red Wings. Chicago, which hasn't lost on the road since dropping a 3-1 decision at San Jose on Jan. 31, had strings of seven consecutive overall victories and four home wins in a row halted when it suffered a 1-0 setback against Anaheim on Thursday.
Patrick Kane enters Friday's contest having scored 14 goals in as many games for the Blackhawks, who squandered an opportunity to overtake Minnesota for first place in both the Central Division and Western Conference - remaining one point behind the Wild. The 28-year-old Kane, who is the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner, has recorded 70 points - four behind Edmonton's Connor McDavid for the league lead. Detroit returns home from a disappointing 1-3-1 road trip that ended with four straight losses, including a 6-1 trouncing in Boston on Wednesday. The Red Wings are last in the East, and their final campaign at Joe Louis Arena likely will end without a postseason appearance - halting their 25-season streak, which is tied for the third-longest in NHL history.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet, CSN Chicago, FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (42-19-5): Captain Jonathan Toews needs to score 11 goals over the last 16 games to post 28 for the fourth consecutive season. The 28-year-old's next tally will move him past Tony Amonte (268) for seventh place on the franchise list. Niklas Hjalmarsson (upper body) returned to the lineup Thursday after a stint on injured reserve and posted a minus-1 rating in 18 minutes, 47 seconds of ice time while fellow defenseman Johnny Oduya (ankle) finally began his second tenure with Chicago, also finishing at minus-1 while recording a game-high five blocked shots in 17:36.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (25-29-11): Jimmy Howard could make his first appearance since Dec. 20 as he was activated from injured reserve after missing more than two months with a knee injury. "When he's been healthy, he's been an excellent goaltender this year for us," coach Jeff Blashill told the team's website. "It's not going to be easy, but I know he's been working real hard with (goaltending coach) Jeff Salajko, he's worked real hard now in two different (conditioning) stints to get himself back in a good spot." With Howard's return, Detroit assigned rookie Jared Coreau - who went 5-4-3 with a 3.46 goals-against average and a team-leading two shutouts - to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.
OVERTIME
1. Red Wings D Niklas Kronwall scored his first goal of the season Wednesday but remains one assist shy of 300 for his career.
2. Chicago D Duncan Keith will be skating in his 900th career contest on Friday.
3. Detroit D Danny DeKeyser's next game will be his 300th in the NHL.