Blackhawks at Ducks
The Chicago Blackhawks try to continue their holiday tradition of defeating the Ducks in Anaheim on the day after Thanksgiving when they visit on Friday. This is the third consecutive season in which the teams meet on this day, with Chicago prevailing 3-2 in overtime last year and 4-1 in 2014, but the Blackhawks could be without captain Jonathan Toews for Friday's renewal after he left Wednesday's 2-1 loss in San Jose.
Toews did not return after falling awkwardly along the boards in the second period as Chicago fell to 2-3-0 on its seven-game Circus road trip. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville called it an upper-body injury and told reporters he was hopeful that it was “nothing long-term or serious” and Toews could play the final two games of the trek. Anaheim is coming off a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday in a contest decided in the 14th round of a shootout, dropping two straight at home after winning the first two contests of its five-game homestand. Rickard Rakell tries to make it four straight games with a goal as the 23-year-old Ducks forward recorded his seventh tally and 11th point in his 11th game of the season Tuesday, not including a pretty score in the fourth round of the shootout.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet, CSN Chicago, Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (13-6-2): Patrick Kane paces Chicago with 14 assists and 20 points but has recorded only two assists on the road trip after totaling four goals and nine points in his first seven games this month. Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin each have notched a club-high eight goals and 11 assists while Marian Hossa owns a team-high 11 tallies. The Blackhawks' league-worst penalty-killing unit at 68.7 percent has allowed four goals on 10 chances over the last three games.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (9-7-4): Corey Perry's 334 career goals and 346 assists attest that he is more of a goal scorer than set-up man, but he shares the team lead with 16 points on the strength of 12 assists. On the other hand, captain Ryan Getzlaf (222 goals, 535 assists) is right at home with a team-best 15 assists and one goal. Top-four defenseman Sami Vatanen left Tuesday's game after the first period because of illness, providing more ice time for rookie Shea Theodore as he continues to get shuttled back and forth between Anaheim and San Diego of the American Hockey League.
OVERTIME
1. Chicago concludes its longest road trip of the season - brought on by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey occupying their United Center home - in Los Angeles on Saturday. The Blackhawks are in danger of suffering their first losing Circus trip since 2006.
2. Anaheim's second line of C Ryan Kesler (eight goals) and wings Jakob Silfverberg (six) and Andrew Cogliano (five) continues to be its best two-way unit as they lead the team in plus-minus at plus-9, 8 and 6, respectively.
3. Chicago won two of the three meetings last season, with all the games being decided in overtime.