Preview: Chicago at Anaheim
When: 5:00 PM ET, Friday, November 27, 2015
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Red-hot Patrick Kane and Chicago visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday in the second meeting of the season between the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks and the team they beat in seven games to reach the finals. Kane recorded two assists to extend his point streak to 17 games in Chicago’s 5-2 victory over San Jose on Wednesday as the Blackhawks improved to 2-1-1 on a six-game road trip which concludes Saturday in Los Angeles.
Kane, who leads the NHL in points (34) and assists (23) while tied for second in goals (13), is one game shy of matching the record point streak by an American player set by Eddie Olczyk in 1989-90 and equaled by Phil Kessel in 2008-09. “It’s something if it ends, it ends,” Kane, who is four contests shy of Bobby Hull’s club standard, told reporters. “I just want to play my game and make sure I’m doing the right things out there for the team. If it continues, it continues. I’m not too worried about it right now.” Anaheim has alternated regulation wins and losses in its last six games after a 4-2 setback in Arizona on Wednesday after starting November with a four-game winning streak followed by a three-game slide (0-1-2). “We can play really good on certain occasions and the next night we don’t play nearly as well,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. “We had pockets (Wednesday) and there were times we looked like we were brain-dead.”
TV: 5 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (12-8-2): As Kane rolls along with 10 goals and 18 assists during his streak, captain Jonathan Toews (eight goals, 15 points) is starting to heat up by scoring in two consecutive games. Defensemen Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith each scored Wednesday as Seabrook recorded a point for the fourth time in five contests and Keith produced his third goal in six games since missing nine because of a knee injury. Corey Crawford (10-6-1, 2.57 goals-against average, .912 save percentage) has won three of his last four games after stopping 27 shots Wednesday.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (8-11-4): Anaheim, which has scored four power-play goals in five opportunities in its last two games, hopes to ignite an offense that is second-worst in the NHL at 1.9 goals per game as it begins a six-game homestand. Corey Perry leads the Ducks in goals (seven) and points (16) after recording two goals and an assist in his last two games while captain Ryan Getzlaf is stuck on one goal while providing a team-best 14 assists. Cam Fowler recorded his 127th career assist Wednesday, moving him past Francois Beauchemin for second in club history among defensemen behind Scott Niedermayer (204).
OVERTIME
1. Anaheim has the top penalty-killing unit in the NHL at 87.7 percent, but has permitted three such goals in nine chances over the last three games.
2. Chicago prevailed 1-0 on Oct. 26 when Toews scored in overtime.
3. Wayne Gretzky recorded a point in an NHL-record 51 consecutive games in 1983-84.
PREDICTION: Ducks 3, Blackhawks 2