Preview: Blackhawks at Coyotes

[March 12, 2015]  It was no surprise to Antoine Vermette when he was moved prior to the trade deadline and the 32-year-old center will get a chance to say goodbye to his fans in Arizona as the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Coyotes on Thursday. "You get the sense how things were going, and every day was leaning more and more toward that," Vermette told reporters about the build-up to the Feb. 28 trade. "So, I wasn't naive about the process.'' Vermette scored 53 goals in 215 games with Phoenix/Arizona and described the trade from one of the worst teams in the NHL to a Stanley Cup contender as "very motivating. This is where you want to be."

Vermette is still looking for his first point after three games in a Blackhawks sweater, but said "So far, so good. You get used to the way things work. It's getting more comfortable every day." Chicago wrapped up a 2-0-1 set at home with a 1-0 loss in overtime to the New York Rangers on Sunday and is third in the Central Division - three points ahead of fourth-place Minnesota and seven ahead of Los Angeles for a wild-card spot should it slip below the Wild. Arizona is 1-1-2 on its six-game homestand and 2-12-2 in its last 16 games after a 2-1 loss in overtime to Nashville on Monday, scoring 21 goals during that span.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FSN Arizona
 

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (39-21-6): Chicago is 3-2-0 since Patrick Kane was injured in a 3-2 shootout victory over Florida on Feb. 24, and hasn't recorded a power-play goal in 13 tries since scoring on the man advantage that came from the hit on Kane. The Blackhawks, though, are receiving exceptional goaltending from Corey Crawford (26-14-5, .923 save percentage, 2.23 goals-against average), who is 3-0-1, .969, 1.07 in his last four games and 14-6-1, .931, 1.94 in 21 road contests. Center Brad Richards hasn't scored in 23 games, while left wing Patrick Sharp and center Andrew Shaw are each enduring 18-game droughts.

ABOUT THE COYOTES (21-38-8): Arizona is second-to-last in the NHL at 2.06 goals per game and scored three times only once in its last 16 games. "Obviously it would be nice to get a couple more goals," defenseman Michael Stone told reporters. "We've just got to keep pushing along." Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson leads the team with 17 goals - including seven game-winners - and recorded an assist in each of the first two games against Chicago this season.

OVERTIME

1. Vermette, who didn't record a point in his final six games with Arizona, scored the deciding shootout goal in the Blackhawks' 2-1 victory over Edmonton on Friday.

2. Chicago, which plays six of its next seven on the road, lead the NHL with 34.2 shots per game.

3. The teams split two previous meetings this season with Arizona prevailing 3-2 in a shootout on Feb. 9 as Vermette scored the deciding goal.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 3, Coyotes 2

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