Today at 12:30 p.m. ET, the Pittsburgh Penguins (32-15-8, 72 points) and Chicago Blackhawks (34-18-4, 72 points) face-off for the second and final time this season live from the United Center in Chicago.
Pittsburgh has won two straight games and closes out a two-match road trip while Chicago has dropped two of its last three contests to open up a long eight-game home stand.
The Penguins enter play in second place in the Metropolitan Divsion, three points shy of the first place New York Islanders while the Blackhawks sit in the third and final automatic playoff position in the Central Divsion, four points behind the second place St. Louis Blues and four points clear of the fourth place Winnipeg Jets.
The first time these two teams met, Chicago defeated Pittsburgh 3-2 in a shootout on Jan. 21.
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The Penguins are coming off of a 5-4 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and will look for a third straight win.
Sidney Crosby has paced Pittsburgh offensively this season by ranking third in the NHL with 39 assists and fourth in the league with 58 points. Evgeni Malkin leads the Penguins with 21 goals and is second on the team with 53 points while Kris Letang has found the back of the net 10 times and added 34 helpers for 44 points.
The Blackhawks are coming in off of a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday that marked their first win in three tries on this long home stand.
Patrick Kane has been a force for Chicago this season, leading the entire NHL with 63 points and pacing the team with 27 goals. Captain Jonathan Toews is second on the Blackhawks with 46 points off of 16 goals and 30 assists while Marian Hossa has 17 markers and 25 helpers for 42 points.
In the crease, Chicago turns to Corey Crawford and he is 22-12-3 with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Pittsburgh counters with Marc-Andre Fleury in between the pipes and he is 26-11-5 with a 2.22 GAA and a .922 save percentage while ranking tied for the NHL lead with eight shutouts.
Two teams in need of points in their respective playoff races take the ice when the puck drops on the Penguins and Chicagos in matinee action live from the United Center in Chicago.
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