Blackhawks have plenty of players to shadow

Last year against Colorado, the Wild tried to shadow Nathan MacKinnon at home. Against St. Louis, it tried to keep a close eye on Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a number of players the Wild must keep tabs on, from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to Marian Hossa, Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp.

But believe it or not, no player has scored more goals against the Wild since 2013 than Blackhawks winger Bryan Bickell. The 29-year-old has become the ultimate Wild killer, and frankly, Minnesota seems to be the only team in the NHL he feasts on.

In 23 regular-season and playoff games against the Wild since the beginning of the lockout-shortened 2013 season, Bickell has scored 15 goals (.65 goals per game). In 212 games against everyone else, Bickell has scored 35 goals (.16 goals per game).

Asked why, Bickell, 29, told Chicago reporters Monday: "I don't know. I have to look over the video to see how I scored those goals to see what I need to do to be successful against this team. It's a new season, a new series. Things change. Different players step up."

Bickell, a 6-4 power winger who goes to the net and skates, moved from the Blackhawks' third line to their second Monday with Kane and Brad Richards.

"They want me to play the same," Bickell said. "They don't want me to get out of my comfort zone."

"It was pretty big the other day with his net-front presence. That's what we're looking for."

Quenneville named Corey Crawford the Game 1 starter in goal.

That may not seem newsworthy, considering Crawford backstopped the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup in 2013, but he struggled in the Predators' series with a 1-1 record in three games with an .850 save percentage and 4.19 goals-against average.

But in Game 6 against Nashville, he replaced Scott Darling with the Blackhawks trailing 3-1 and Chicago rallied to advance.

"Great response in a very important game for us," Quenneville said when explaining his decision not to go back with Darling. "All of a sudden it was a tight game and the game was on the line. He did everything he could. It was a great win for him and for us. He's exiting the series on a real positive note. I'm sure it was not easy watching and doing everything he can to get that chance he got. He certainly put us in the position now.

It looks like for Game 1 that skilled winger Teuvo Teravainen, 20, will draw in for struggling veteran Kris Versteeg. Quenneville said it's more what Teravainen can do for the Blackhawks rather than how Versteeg has been playing.

"Against Minnesota, they check very well, we've got to make sure we're very good in the puck area and strong in the puck area," he said. "So I think [Teravainen] gives us some options both sides of the puck. I like his awareness. I'm sure he should be excited."

The Blackhawks haven't begun their second-round series with the Wild yet, but tickets for a potential third-round series go on sale Wednesday at noon. The Wild hopes to make those tickets go to waste.

"Three straight years we've been to the playoffs, and a couple of years now we've won a round, but nobody's satisfied with that," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. "We weren't last year, and we're even less this year."