Wild vs. Blackhawks gameday preview
February 10, 2018 at 5:30AM
Chicago's down but dangerous
Preview: The Blackhawks are in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. Chicago has lost four in a row, eight of 10 and is 7-9-3 since goalie Corey Crawford went down with a concussion. Minnesota is 18-4-5 at home but coming off an overtime loss to Arizona.
Players to watch: Blackhawks F Patrick Kane remains an offensive force with 21 goals and 32 assists but is minus-7. F Jonathan Toews has 15 goals, 20 assists and is plus-8.
Numbers: Chicago trails Minnesota by eight points. The Wild is 2-2 vs. the Blackhawks this season, winning 2-1 most recently at Chicago on Jan. 10. The Blackhawks have scored first in eight of their past nine games but are 2-5-2 in that stretch. Opponents have outscored Chicago 15-8 in the third period over the past 12 games.
Injuries: Blackhawks G Crawford (concussion) and Marian Hossa (illness) are out, D Jan Rutta (upper-body) is questionable. Wild D Jonas Brodin (broken hand) is out.
Joe Christensen
about the writer
The mobile defenseman helped Team USA to another gold medal at the world juniors, and is thriving at Denver.
