Maple Leafs at Blackhawks
The Toronto Maple Leafs aim to record their first road victory of the season when the visit the Original Six-rival Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Toronto has played three of its first four games of 2016-17 away from home but have yet to earn two points, dropping 5-4 overtime decisions in both Ottawa and Winnipeg while suffering a 3-2 defeat at Minnesota on Thursday.
Rookie Auston Matthews, the first overall pick in the June draft, got on the scoresheet against the Wild with his first goal since netting four in his NHL debut on Oct. 12 versus the Senators. Chicago hopes to extend its home winning streak to three games after winding up on the wrong side of a 3-2 decision at Columbus on Friday. A former Maple Leaf, Richard Panik scored his fifth goal of the campaign in the setback to tie Matthews for the league lead and climb within one of his total in 30 games last season. Patrick Kane was kept off the scoresheet by the Blue Jackets after collecting six points in his previous two contests, including his first goal of the campaign and three assists versus Philadelphia on Tuesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC (Toronto), WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (1-1-2): Matthews, who has recorded just one assist thus far, leads the team with 18 shots. Martin Marincin sat out Thursday's game with a lower-body injury and is questionable to play against Chicago. The 24-year-old defenseman registered an assist and a minus-3 rating over his first three contests this season.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (2-3-0): Tyler Motte had a night to remember on Friday as he scored the first goal of his NHL career. Selected with the last pick of the fourth round in the 2013 draft, the 21-year-old native of Michigan notched two assists over his first four contests this season - his first with Chicago. Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk could be sidelined "a bit," according to coach Joel Quenneville, as he exited Friday's game in the second period with an upper-body injury after crashing hard into the net.
OVERTIME
1. Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa missed Friday's contest with a lower-body injury after scoring his 500th career goal three nights earlier and is questionable to face Toronto.
2. Maple Leafs C Nazem Kadri has recorded two goals and an assist over his last two games after being kept off the scoresheet in his first two contests.
3. Chicago RW Ryan Hartman returned to the lineup Friday after missing two games with a leg injury.