Blackhawks vs. Oilers game preview 2015: Chicago eyes season sweep of Edmonton

Corey Crawford will start in net for the Chicago Blackhawks when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at United Center.

Crawford has won his past six starts against the Oilers, posting a 1.97 goals-against average. He stopped 34 shots in each of the previous two meetings this season.

Patrick Kane will look to start a new point streak after having his 26-game one snapped -- the longest run by an American-born player and the longest in franchise history. Kane leads the league in scoring with 46 points, including 16 goals and 24 assists during his streak.

The Hawks have won both games against Edmonton this season. The line of Kane, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin scored all four goals with five assists in a 4-2 victory against the Oilers on Nov. 8. It was Chicago's (17-11-4) fourth straight win over Edmonton (14-16-2) at home. Kane also had a primary assist on Duncan Keith's goal in a 4-3 overtime win Nov. 18 at Rexall Place. Marian Hossa scored 1:08 into overtime to win the game.

Chicago is 12-4-1 at home this season, which ties the New York Rangers for most home wins in the NHL. Since their six-game Circus Trip, the Hawks have won four of their six home games.

Brandon Mashinter skated on the top line during Thursday's morning skate, while Hossa had a maintenance day. Mashinter will be a healthy scratch as Ryan Garbutt slides into the right wing spot on the fourth line.

Projected lines:

Teravainen-Toews-Hossa
Panarin-Anisimov-Kane
Bickell-Rasmussen-Shaw
Desjardins-Kruger-Garbutt

Keith-Hjalmarsson
TVR-Seabrook
Scuderi-Rozsival

Healthy scratch: Brandon Mashinter and David Rundblad

Opponent Breakdown

Edmonton Oilers | Record: 14-16-2 | 5th in Pacific Division | Goal differential: -9

Edmonton rallied twice from one-goal deficits, but fell short as the Rangers snapped the Oilers six-game win streak with a 4-2 win on Tuesday.

Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle score both goals. In the last six games, Hall has six goals and four assists while Eberle has five goals and eight points. Hall has nine goals and 13 assists in 17 career games against the Chicago, while Eberle has scored in each of the two previous meetings this season.

The Oilers placed defenseman Oscar Klefbom (fractured finger) on injured reserve and forward Benoit Pouliot is questionable with an undisclosed injury.

Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot is expected to start. Talbot stopped 24 of 28 shots in the Nov. 8 loss to the Hawks this season.

Here's a quick rundown of the team's projected lines:

Hall-Draisaitl-Purcell
Khaira- Nugent-Hopkins -Eberle
Hendricks-Letestu-Korpikoski
Gazdic-Lander-Pakarinen

Nurse-Sekera
Nikitin-Schultz
Davidson-Gryba

Injuries

Blackhawks: None

Oilers: Oscar Klefbom, Benoit Pouliot, Nail Yakupov, Connor McDavid

How to Watch

When: 7:30 p.m. CT

Where: United Center, Chicago

TV: CSN Chicago