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Wednesday NHL game preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks
Nazem Kadri, Patrick Kane players to watch Wednesday night at the United Center.
Wednesday NHL game preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks | Toronto Star
Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks host the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. (Rene Johnston / Toronto Star file photo)
By Mark ZwolinskiSports Reporter
Tues., Jan. 23, 2018
UNITED CENTER
FACEOFF: 8 p.m.
TV: Sportsnet
RADIO: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
KEY PLAYERS
Kadri/Kane
Leaf Nazem Kadri will likely draw the checking assignment on Patrick Kane, who leads the Blackhawks in scoring and remains one of the most dangerous offensive players in the NHL. Kadri performed another admirable checking job on Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon in Monday’s loss to the Avalanche, holding the NHL’s second-leading scorer pointless.
NEED TO KNOW
The Blackhawks are last in the Central Division and playoff contention is slipping away. With top goalie Corey Crawford still out indefinitely, reportedly with vertigo, and the offence cold they’re in danger of missing the post-season after nine consecutive appearances — including three Stanley Cups and two more trips to the conference final … The Hawks have lost three in a row and trailed every team in their division by at least seven points heading into Tuesday night’s action. They were also seven points out of a wild-card berth . . . They have scored just six goals in their last five games, four of them losses. In Monday’s 2-0 loss to Tampa, Chicago outshot the powerhouse Lightning 17-5 in the second period and had a four-minute power play but failed to score … Good news on the injury front: forward Artem Anisimov returned Monday after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury.
UP NEXT
Thursday at Dallas Stars, 8:30 p.m.
'We’ll see how it goes': Maple Leafs juggle lines ahead of meeting with Blackhawks
Terry KoshanMore from Terry Koshan
‘We’ll see how it goes’: Maple Leafs juggle lines ahead of meeting with Blackhawks
Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri on Jan. 23, 2018 (DAVE ABEL/POSTMEDIA)
Komarov, Moore and Kapanen (DAVE ABEL/POSTMEDIA)
Don’t expect Nazem Kadri to try to get fancy with Mitch Marner lining up beside him.
“My job really is simple,” Kadri said on Tuesday following Maple Leafs practice. “I just have to get open and be ready to be a shooting threat and hopefully cash in.
“I’m able to get in open spots and he can do his thing and be elusive on the ice and find the open guy and be the playmaker that he is.”
Putting Marner on Kadri’s right side — and dropping Leo Komarov to the fourth line — was one of several changes made by Leafs coach Mike Babcock during a half-hour practice at the MasterCard Centre.
The Leafs, who play in Chicago against the Blackhawks on Wednesday and will be in Dallas to clash with the Stars on Thursday, remain in a solid playoff position in the Eastern Conference. With 57 points, the Leafs were in third place in the Atlantic Division, 12 points up on the fourth-place Detroit Red Wings, heading into Tuesday night’s slate of games.
Barring a complete collapse by Toronto, they will face the Boston Bruins or the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.
Still, there’s concern about the lack of wins in recent weeks. As much as Babcock likes the scoring chances the Leafs have been creating, the cold fact is they’ve won once in their past six games and just six times in their past 18.
Going with a new look among the forward lines was long overdue, though Babcock indicated he will have Kadri and Komarov back together when the team plays at home again, next Wednesday versus the New York Islanders following the all-star break. Kadri, with one goal and one assist in his past 20 games, needs to put points on the scoreboard.
“Anything to try to generate a spark,” Kadri said. “Offensively, we have to switch some things up and hopefully it will work.”
Sent to the Toronto Marlies was Frederik Gauthier, while Kasperi Kapanen was recalled. Kapanen will skate on a line with Komarov and centre Dominic Moore, who will play after sitting nine games in a row as a healthy scratch. For the second time in 2017-18, Matt Martin will be a healthy scratch.
“I’m trying to have more depth,” Babcock said of the changes. “I like Leo there (with Kadri) because he gives Naz a tightening about 10 times a game to keep him in line.
“We’ll see how it goes in Chicago. At home, they’re going to play together anyway. I’m looking to have more balance and more attack, especially on the road, when I don’t have last change. We have to try some (different) things.”
Auston Matthews remained between Zach Hyman and William Nylander, while Tyler Bozak again centred James van Riemsdyk and Connor Brown.
Do the Leafs have to be reminded that the playoff cushion they have is not necessarily a luxury?
“I don’t think anybody in here thinks they are in Comfortville and I don’t think our game indicated that (Monday) night at all,” Babcock said, referring to the 4-2 loss against the visiting Colorado Avalanche.
“I think we played hard and played well, we gave up very little, to say the least, but we didn’t win the game. Now we have to dig in and win one in Chicago.”
Kadri concurred, insisting the Leafs aren’t getting complacent with their spot in the standings. The Bruins were five points ahead of Toronto prior to games on Tuesday, while the Lightning, first in the Atlantic with 67 points, had a 10-point bulge.
“We want to catch the teams in front of us, we are not necessarily looking at the teams behind us,” Kadri said. “Home ice is a definite advantage in the playoffs, so we want to work toward that.
“We know there is always a sense of urgency coming down the stretch in the last couple of months. That’s a sense of motivation because we put ourselves in a spot where we can decide our own destiny.”
Game Day: Maple Leafs at Blackhawks
Lance HornbyMore from Lance Hornby
Game Day: Maple Leafs at Blackhawks
Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. (JONATHAN DANIEL/Getty Images)
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS AT CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Wednesday, 8 P.M., United Center
TV: Sportsnet RADIO: FAN 590
THE BIG MATCHUP
RW Patrick Kane vs. D Jake Gardiner
Kane is Chicago’s only 20-goal scorer in a puzzling season where the Hawks rank last in their division in offence. He usually does well against the Leafs. Speaking of perplexing, Gardiner has four points his past two games, but as always, his own-zone game is under extra scrutiny.
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
Blackhawks down
The Leafs might not get a better chance to end a long slide in the Windy City, without a win since 2003 in their sporadic visits. With goalie Corey Crawford out, the Hawks are treading water at home with a .500 record and were shut out by Tampa Bay on Monday. “That hole’s getting deeper,” coach Joel Quenneville warned after the Bolts blanked them.
Goals in great demand
While Chicago has struggled with just six goals in its past five games, Toronto’s offence has slipped, too. Only twice in its past six have they reached three in a game and other than Auston Matthews getting in gear, there hasn’t been much secondary scoring. Matthews, by the way, had an OT winner against the Hawks at the ACC in October.
Fred sees red
Frederik Andersen is hitting a bump just before the all-star break, giving up six goals on 44 shots over his past two starts. Chicago’s Jeff Glass made 29 stops on Monday against the Bolts. This likely will be Andersen’s last start before the break, with Curtis McElhinney up to play Dallas on Thursday.
Line dancing
The Hawks mixed things up before losing to Tampa Bay, while Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock added Kasperi Kapanen on Tuesday and will move Mitch Marner to Nazem Kadri’s wing in hopes of getting both forwards rolling .
De-stabilized
In its second game without injured Morgan Rielly, the Leafs defence was a lot less cohesive. But look for a big game by Connor Carrick in his home town.
BLACKHAWKS GAME DAY LINES
LW C RW
Brandon Saad Jonathan Toews Anthony Duclair
Patrick Sharp Nick Schmaltz Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat Artem Anisimov Ryan Hartman
Tomas Jurco David Kampf Vince Hinostroza
DEFENCE PAIRINGS
Duncan Keith Jordan Oesterle
Erik Gustafsson Brent Seabrook
Michal Kempny Connor Murphy
GOALIES
Anton Forsberg
Jeff Glass
SICK BAY
G Corey Crawford
D Michal Rozsival
F Marian Hossa
LEAFS GAME DAY LINES
LW C RW
Zach Hyman Auston Matthews William Nylander
Patrick Marleau Nazem Kadri Mitch Marner
James van Riemsdyk Tyler Bozak Connor Brown
Leo Komarov Dominic Moore Kasperi Kapanen
DEFENCE PAIRINGS
Jake Gardiner Ron Hainsey
Travis Dermott Connor Carrick
Andreas Borgman Roman Polak
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen
Curtis McElhinney
SICK BAY
D Morgan Rielly
D Nikita Zaitsev
F Nikita Soshnikov
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power Play
Toronto 20.4% (10th)
Chicago14.8% (29th)
Penalty killing
Toronto 83.8% (3rd)
Chicago 82.5% (10th)
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