Preview: Devils at Blackhawks

[February 13, 2015]  Marian Hossa struggled to find consistent offense this season before scoring two goals in each of his last three games. The 36-year-old looks to continue his torrid stretch when the Chicago Blackhawks play the third contest of their eight-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Friday. "It’s feeling good, you know, when the puck's going in for you," Hossa told ESPN Chicago on the heels of the Blackhawks' 5-4 overtime loss to Vancouver on Wednesday. "Just try to put a puck at the net. That’s my goal right now and good things happen."

Like Chicago, New Jersey has dropped two in a row and is seeing its modest postseason aspirations get slimmer by the day. "We knew it was going to be difficult the way we put ourselves in the position we're in. But obviously, it's still possible. We're not done," Patrik Elias told NJ.com as he prepares to play in his 1,200th NHL game. "It's not like we don't have a chance at all. Is it going to be difficult? No question about it." Elias scored the Devils' lone goal in a 2-1 setback to Edmonton on Monday but did not play in New Jersey's 3-2 shootout loss to Chicago on Dec. 9.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), CSN Chicago

ABOUT THE DEVILS (21-24-9): Cory Schneider received a rare night off in the team's last meeting with the Blackhawks but has been confirmed to make his league-leading 47th start on Friday. The 28-year-old owns a 2-2-1 career record with a 3.44 goal-against average versus Chicago, but his next victory would tie his career high of 20 - set during the 2011-12 season with the Canucks. Schneider and the Devils have a tough road ahead, as a date with league-leading Nashville looms on Saturday.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (33-18-4): Teuvo Teravainen's time is not now, as the team elected to demote the promising 20-year-old Finn to Rockford of the American Hockey League on Thursday. The 18th overall pick of the 2012 draft, Teravainen has been held without a point in each of the last six contests and has mustered just four (two goals, two assists) in 15 games. Chicago recalled forward Ryan Hartman and defenseman Kyle Cumiskey from the IceHogs.

OVERTIME

1. New Jersey RW Jaromir Jagr needs one goal to tie Phil Esposito (717) for fifth place on the NHL's all-time list.

2. Chicago RW Patrick Kane also scored versus Vancouver and tallied in the shootout to help his team defeat the Devils in the first meeting.

3. The Devils are 1-for-14 on the power play over their last seven contests.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Devils 2

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.