Preview: Ducks at Blackhawks

[October 28, 2014]  Now that their seven-game winning streak is history, the Anaheim Ducks will hit the road for a rugged four-game trek beginning with Tuesday night's matchup at the Chicago Blackhawks. Anaheim's bid for a perfect five-game homestand was derailed in Sunday's 4-1 setback to the San Jose Sharks - the first defeat for the Ducks since a season-opening setback in Pittsburgh. "We've been playing pretty good hockey as of late, and you're going to play one of these kinds of games once in a while," Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf said.

The Blackhawks snapped a two-game road skid against Central Division rivals Nashville and St. Louis with a 2-1 victory over Ottawa on Sunday - their third straight one-goal contest. With starting netminder Corey Crawford sitting out his fourth consecutive game due to an upper-body injury, Chicago received a lift from Illinois native Scott Darling, who made 32 saves against Ottawa in his NHL debut. The Blackhawks won the past two meetings last season, ending a string of five consecutive losses to Anaheim.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Anaheim), CSN Chicago

ABOUT THE DUCKS (7-2-0): Anaheim also won seven of its first eight last season but it faces a grueling upcoming stretch with road games against the Blackhawks, St. Louis, Dallas and Colorado - all playoffs teams in 2013-14. "You look at this trip as one of the toughest we'll face all year," defenseman Cam Fowler said. "Those are tough buildings to go in and play. ... They're not only playoff teams, but they play really well at home, and all of them have a different style too." Frederik Andersen, who won his first six starts, had his personal 10-game winning streak halted by San Jose.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (5-2-1): Chicago right wing Patrick Kane registered his 500th career point Sunday, which, coming in his 522nd game, made him the ninth-fastest active player to reach that milestone. Teammate Marian Hossa also had an assist in the game to move him within two points of reaching 1,000 for his career. "“Hopefully there are many more to come. It’s a pretty cool milestone to get that," Kane said of his 500th point. "It’s been a great run in the time I've been here. In a couple games, or maybe next game, we’ll get a better milestone when big Hoss reaches 1,000. That’ll be exciting, too.”

OVERTIME

1. The Blackhawks have the league's No. 3 penalty-killing unit, allowing two goals on 25 chances.

2. Ducks D Ben Lovejoy will be sidelined for six to eight weeks due to a fractured bone in his finger.

3. Blackhawks F Patrick Sharp has 14 goals in 28 games versus Anaheim.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 3, Ducks 2

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