Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, the Chicago Blackhawks (31-17-2, 64 points) and Minnesota Wild (23-20-6, 52 points) face-off for the fourth of five meetings this season live from the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota. The game can be live streamed for free here. Chicago fans can hear all of the action on WGN 720 while Minnesota fans can do the same on KFAN 100.3.
Chicago has dropped two of its last three games and is 2-2 heading into the fifth contest of a lengthy seven-match road trip while Minnesota won three straight games to close out a four-match road trip and comes home to open a three-game homestand.
The Blackhawks have won all three meetings against the Wild this season, including a 4-1 triumph on Jan. 11.
Chicago sits in second place in the Central Division while Minnesota is five points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with plenty of teams to jump.
While they're comfortably in playoff position, the Blackhawks won just six of 13 games in January and will look to kick off February on the right foot.
"There's definitely a lot at stake here," forward Ben Smith told the Chicago Tribune. "We want to get higher and higher in the [standings], not drop lower and lower. So the goal is to get points every night, and when you do that you find yourself hanging around and trying to gain some ground on those teams ahead of you."
Patrick Kane leads Chicago and is tied for second in the NHL with 56 points off of 25 goals and 31 assists. Captain Jonathan Toews is second on the team with 42 points off of 15 tallies and 27 helpers and Marian Hossa has found the back of the net 10 times and added 24 assists for 34 points.
The Wild know how important each game is with two big points hanging in the balance.
"We obviously need every win we can get," Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk said, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. "But if you approach a game and think, 'Oh, my God, we have to beat these guys in regulation,' it's just not a good way to be successful. It's not a good approach. If you can knock it right down to a push and a stop and beating a play, it helps."
Dubnyk is likely to get the start tonight and he is 14-6-2 with a 2.45 goal-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Chicago is set to counter with Corey Crawford and he is 19-11-2 with a 2.28 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
Crawford will look to stop a Wild offense that is paced by Zach Parise (21 goals, 17 assists) and Jason Pominville (nine markers, 29 helpers), who each have a team-best 38 points. Thomas Vanek is second on the team with 31 points by way of lighting the lamp 10 times and adding 21 assists.
The Blackhawks visit the Wild when the puck drops tonight live from the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota.
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