[4:00 PM] Blackhawks @ Ducks

Who will WIN this matchup?

Chicago Blackhawks (13-6-2)

@ Anaheim Ducks (9-7-4)

 

Starting Goalies:

Corey Crawford (CHI): Confirmed

John Gibson (ANA): Unconfirmed

 

• The Chicago Blackhawks try to continue their holiday tradition of defeating the Ducks in Anaheim on the day after Thanksgiving when they visit on Friday. This is the third consecutive season in which the teams meet on this day, with Chicago prevailing 3-2 in overtime last year and 4-1 in 2014, but the Blackhawks could be without captain Jonathan Toews for Friday’s renewal after he left Wednesday’s 2-1 loss in San Jose.

• Anaheim is coming off a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday in a contest decided in the 14th round of a shootout, dropping two straight at home after winning the first two contests of its five-game homestand. Rickard Rakell tries to make it four straight games with a goal as the 23-year-old Ducks forward recorded his seventh tally and 11th point in his 11th game of the season Tuesday, not including a pretty score in the fourth round of the shootout.

• Patrick Kane paces Chicago with 14 assists and 20 points but has recorded only two assists on the road trip after totaling four goals and nine points in his first seven games this month. Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin each have notched a club-high eight goals and 11 assists while Marian Hossa owns a team-high 11 tallies. The Blackhawks’ league-worst penalty-killing unit at 68.7 percent has allowed four goals on 10 chances over the last three games.

• Corey Perry’s 334 career goals and 346 assists attest that he is more of a goal scorer than set-up man, but he shares the team lead with 16 points on the strength of 12 assists. On the other hand, captain Ryan Getzlaf (222 goals, 535 assists) is right at home with a team-best 15 assists and one goal. Top-four defenseman Sami Vatanen left Tuesday’s game after the first period because of illness, providing more ice time for rookie Shea Theodore as he continues to get shuttled back and forth between Anaheim and San Diego of the American Hockey League.

• Chicago won two of the three meetings last season, with all the games being decided in overtime.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Chicago Blackhawks

Confidence: 4/10

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