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Minnesota Wild (27-9-5) at Chicago Blackhawks (27-13-5)
7PM Eastern/6 Central
NBCSN


PROBABLE GOALIES:

Minnesota, Devan Dubnyk
Chicago, Corey Crawford


STATS:

GOALS FOR/AGAINST
Minnesota 3.27/2.15
Chicago 2.71/2.49

POWER PLAY
Minnesota 19.5%
Chicago 18.8%

PENALTY KILL
Minnesota 84.6%
Chicago 76.3%

SHOTS FOR/AGAINST
Minnesota 29.4/30.5
Chicago 29.2/31.3


NOTES:
It's still a marquee matchup for 1st place—but the roles have been reversed by a Minnesota win last night. They are now in first place in the Central, with as many points as Chicago in 4 less games played.

As written here yesterday—this is the biggest game (by far) of the season for the Hawks. Absolutely humiliated in a 6-0 loss in Washington Friday, the team must deliver a big-time performance tonight, if not pull out two points.

Yes, it's only January, but there have been legitimate doubts and questions about whether the Blackhawks were as good as their record all season. So the outcome of tonight's game—after the big loss in Washington—is very important psychologically to the Hawks and to other teams they will face going forward.

All that said, in addition to Marcus Kruger's injury, Artem Anisimov is sick, might not play; Nick Schmaltz has been recalled from Rockford. Anisimov's illness may explain his very slow start to Friday night's game. Without Anisimov and Kruger, the Hawks are very compromised up the middle tonight.

I'll recap tomorrow.


JJ

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