Preview : Blackhawks vs Wild Numerology
The last time the Blackhawks saw the Minnesota Wild they were shaking hands at center ice. Tonight they get their first look at their newest division rival.
Chicago Blackhawks (15 pts, 6-1-3) vs Minnesota Wild (13 pts, 5-3-3)
7pm CDT United Center - Chicago, IL
TV: WGN
Radio : 720 AM WGN
Blackhawks' last game : 5-6 L (OT) @ Lightning
Wild's last game : 3-1 W vs Hurricanes
Enemy Territory : Hockey Wilderness
Season Series/Schedule
| DATE | SCORE | W. GOAL |
| Apr 03 '14 | ||
| Jan 23 '14 | ||
| Dec 05 '13 | ||
| Oct 28 '13 | ||
| Oct 26 '13 | ||
75 : Percentage of penalties killed off by the Wild this year, 4th worst in the NHL.
48 : Career powerplay goals for both Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp.
31 : Career games played in the NHL by Brad Mills who will make his Blackhawks debut tonight.
30 : Total man games lost due to injury for the Wild this year.
9 : Games the Blackhawks have outshot their opponents. The only time they were outshot was their only regulation loss in St. Louis.
7 : Consectutive games the Blackhawks have earned a point.
5 : Goals given up at full strength by the Wild this year.
3 : Wins against the Central Division for the Wild in 4 games.
1 : Win in 5 road games for the Wild.
0 : Wins for starting goaltender Niklas Backstrom this season.
Probable Blackhawks Lineup
Forwards
Brandon Saad - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa
Patrick Sharp - Marcus Kruger - Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell - Andrew Shaw - Jeremy Morin
Brandon Bollig - Brandon Pirri - Brad Mills
Defensive Pairings
Duncan Keith - Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy - Michal Rozsival
Goaltender
Corey Crawford (5-1-2, 2.04 GAA, .921 save %, 0 SO)
Injuries
Michal Handzus (upper body) day to day, Michael Kostka (broken foot) out
Leading Scorers
| PLAYER | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW |
| P. Kane | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | -6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| J. Toews | 10 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -1 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| M. Hossa | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Saad | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| N. Hjalmarsson | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Probable Wild Lineup
Forwards
Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Justin Fontaine
Nino Niederreiter - Mikael Granlund - Jason Pominville
Dany Heatley - Kyle Brodziak - Matt Cooke
Torrey Mitchell - Zenon Konopka - Stephane Veilleux
Defensive Pairings
Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon
Matthew Dumba - Clayton Stoner
Marco Scandella - Nate Prosser
Goaltender
Niklas Backstrom (0-0-2, 2.98 GAA, .867 save %, 0 SO)
Injuries
Josh Harding (lower body) out, Jonas Brodin (fractured cheekbone) out, Charlie Coyle (sprained MCL) out, defenseman Keith Ballard (upper body) out, Mike Rupp (lower body) out
Leading Scorers
| PLAYER | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW |
| Z. Parise | 11 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| M. Cooke | 11 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| M. Koivu | 11 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Brodin | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| N. Niederreiter | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -1 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
Team Stats
| | GP | RECORD | HOME | AWAY | L10 | G/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | PIM/G | S/G | S/A | FO% | |
| MIN | 11 | 5-3-3 | 4-0-2 | 1-3-1 | 5-3-2 | 2.18 | 1.91 | 26.7 | 75 | 12.3 | 30.2 | 21.8 | 55.2 | |
| CHI | 10 | 6-1-3 | 4-0-2 | 2-1-1 | 6-1-3 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 21 | 71 | 9.4 | 34.6 | 25.9 | 51.2 |
