Chicago Blackhawks (97 pts, 41-15-15) vs Nashville Predators (70 pts, 30-31-10)
6 pm CDT, United Center – Chicago, IL
TV : WGN
Radio : 720 AM WGN
Blackhawks last game : 3-2 W vs Hurricanes
Predators last game : 6-5 W @ Flames
Enemy Territory : On The Forecheck
Season Series/Schedule
| DATE | SCORE | W. GOAL |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 12 ’14 | @NSH | |
| Mar 23 ’14 | @CHI | |
| Mar 14 ’14 | NSH 3 at CHI 2 | R. Ellis |
| Dec 17 ’13 | CHI 3 at NSH 1 | P. Kane |
| Nov 16 ’13 | CHI 2 at NSH 7 | P. Hornqvist |
140 : The number of penalty minutes for Richard Clune this season, the fourth most in the NHL. Clune is responsible for 19.4% of Nashville’s penalty minutes.
33-1-7 : The Blackhawks’ record when scoring first this season.
27.3 : The number shots given up per game by the Blackhawks this season, the fourth lowest average in the NHL.
24.02 : The average age of the Predators’ defensive core, the youngest in the league.
23 : The number of times the Blackhawks have scored at least five goals in a game this season, the most in the NHL.
18-0-3 : The Predators’ record when leading after two periods this season.
11 : The number of points needed for Marian Hossa to hit 1000 in his career.
8 : The number of shorthanded goals the Blackhawks of scored this season, tied for sixth in the NHL. The Predators are the only team in the NHL yet to give up a shorthanded goal.
6 : The number of assists Roman Josi has against the Blackhawks this season.
5 : The number of shorthanded points for Jonathan Toews. Only Patrik Elias has more with six.
Probable Blackhawks Lineup
*using last game’s lines, Q won’t meet with the media until 4pm.
Forwards
Kris Versteeg – Jonathan Toews – Marian Hossa
Patrick Sharp – Michal Handzus – Andrew Shaw
Peter Regin – Ben Smith – Jeremy Morin
Brandon Bollig – Marcus Kruger – Sheldon Brookbank
Defensive Pairings
Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya – Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy – David Rundblad
Goaltender
Corey Crawford (28-12-10, 2.21 GAA, .919 save %, 2 SO)
Injuries
Nikolai Khabibulin (rotator cuff) out, Patrick Kane (lower body) out, Brandon Saad (upper body) out, Bryan Bickell (upper body) out, Michal Rozsival (lower body) out
Leading Scorers
| PLAYER | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. Kane | 69 | 29 | 40 | 69 | +7 | 22 | 10 | 6 |
| P. Sharp | 70 | 29 | 39 | 68 | +17 | 36 | 8 | 2 |
| J. Toews | 70 | 27 | 38 | 65 | +28 | 30 | 5 | 4 |
| D. Keith | 69 | 5 | 50 | 55 | +24 | 22 | 3 | 2 |
| M. Hossa | 60 | 25 | 29 | 54 | +28 | 18 | 4 | 4 |
Probable Predators Lineup
Forwards
Patric Hornqvist – Mike Fisher – Nick Spaling
Gabriel Bourque – Calle Jarnkrok – Craig Smith
Eric Nystrom – Matt Cullen – Colin Wilson
Richard Clune – Colton Sissons – Patrick Eaves
Defensive Pairings
Roman Josi – Shea Weber
Seth Jones – Mattias Ekholm
Michael Del Zotto – Ryan Ellis
Goaltender
Pekka Rinne (6-9-1, 2.75 GAA, .904 save %, 0 SO)
Injuries
Paul Gaustead (upper body) doubtful
Leading Scorers
| PLAYER | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Weber | 67 | 16 | 28 | 44 | -13 | 44 | 9 | 4 |
| C. Smith | 67 | 20 | 20 | 40 | +7 | 18 | 5 | 3 |
| D. Legwand | 62 | 10 | 30 | 40 | -8 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
| M. Fisher | 63 | 17 | 19 | 36 | -13 | 58 | 4 | 2 |
| P. Hornqvist | 65 | 13 | 22 | 35 | -11 | 24 | 7 | 4 |