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Chicago Blackhawks (30-15-2) at Los Angeles Kings (20-15-12) 9:30PM Central/7:30 Pacific NBCSN,SN,SN1,CSN-CH
THE BUZZ
Anti-climax or tone setter?
The Kings have struggled much more so than the Hawks have thus far this season. Yet it’s hard to imagine the defending champs not being a factor come playoff time—nor a tough out for a Hawk team that succumbed to them in seven grueling (and epic) games in last year’s Western Conference Finals.
The Kings get Tyler Toffoli (mononucleosis) back likely tonight; Mike Richards gets a taste of the AHL.
All that said, the Kings will need points and wins like nobody’s business to just get into the playoffs. But this is a team that knows how to take care of business. The Hawks appear assured (relatively) of a spot in the playoffs, but clearly they need to re-discover the form that had some predicting they would come out of the West earlier this season. A telling stat has been shot totals—the Hawks have been giving up a lot of them, often allowing more than they take, which is highly uncharacteristic of them.
With that in mind—and the playoffs now at least in sight—this is an important game for both clubs.
THE NUMBERS
Power Play Chicago, 14th, 18.9% LA, 13th, 19.3%
Penalty Kill Chicago, 1st, 88.4% LA, 25th, 77.8%
5-on-5 GF/GA Differential Chicago, 4th, 1.27 LA, 12th, 1.11
THE LINEUPS (PROJECTED)
Blackhawks
Saad Toews Hossa Sharp Richards Kane Bickell Teravainen Shaw Nordstrom Kruger Smith
Keith Rundblad Seabrook Hjalmarsson Rozsival Oduya
Crawford
Kings
Gaborik Kopitar Brown King Carter Toffoli Clifford Stoll Williams Andreoff Shore Lewis
Muzzin Doughty McNabb Greene Regehr Martinez
Quick
All for now, recap tomorrow.