Music: {allcanada} BLACKHAWKS (13-9-3) at SENATORS (12-7-5)

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

{allcanada} BLACKHAWKS (13-9-3) at SENATORS (12-7-5)

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Thursday, December 3, 2015

7:30 PM ET

BLACKHAWKS (13-9-3) at SENATORS (12-7-5)

TV: CSN-CH, RDS2, TSN5

Season series: The Chicago Blackhawks went 2-0-0 against the Ottawa Senators last season, with each game decided by one goal. Jonathan Toews scored three goals to lead the Blackhawks, and goalie Scott Darling won each game. Goalie Craig Anderson, who started twice for the Senators, had a 2.90 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

Blackhawks team scope: Forward Patrick Kane will try to tie Bobby Hull's Chicago record for longest point streak. Kane had a goal in a 2-1 home loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday to extend his streak to 20 games. Hull set the record with a 21-game streak in 1971-72. Goalie Corey Crawford will start for Chicago, which practiced Wednesday. Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson didn't practice but is expected to play. Potential lineup changes weren't revealed because there were no line rushes. The Blackhawks instead worked quite a bit on 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 battle drills, which are staged in a confined area of the rink. The emphasis is winning puck battles, an area coach Joel Quenneville believes is contributing to the Blackhawks' lack of time in the offensive zone. "[That's] part of it," Quenneville said. "I think, to me, it's who comes up with more loose pucks is usually the guy that's going to win the game or influence the game the most."

Senators team scope: Left wing Milan Michalek is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his right index finger, and center Mika Zibanejad is doubtful after an illegal check to the head from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas in a 4-2 loss Tuesday. Colin Greening will replace Michalek, and Patrick Wiercioch is expected to dress as a seventh defenseman if Zibanejad doesn't play. Defenseman Chris Phillips (back), forward Clarke MacArthur (concussion) and goalie Andrew Hammond (undisclosed) are also out with injuries. "We have a lot of players out right now, unfortunately," center Jean-Gabriel Pageau told the Senators website. "Hopefully, they'll all come back soon and help the team to win, but for now they're not there. We've got to find a way to replace them and play well." Anderson, a Chicago native, has made eight straight starts, but coach Dave Cameron did not confirm him as the starter.