Preview: Blackhawks at Maple Leafs

[March 18, 2017]  The Chicago Blackhawks turned the page since the start of February, posting win streaks of five and seven contests before beginning their current three-game run by vaulting into first place in the Central Division. With victories in 15 of their last 18 contests, the Blackhawks look to continue their impressive March as they vie for a sweep of their Canadian road trip with Saturday's tilt versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Richard Panik was a major part of Chicago's sizzling run with five goals highlighting his seven-game point streak before failing to tally again until Thursday's 2-1 victory over Ottawa. "If I knew why, I think I would score more often," the 26-year-old Panik told the Chicago Sun-Times of the fickle nature of the game. Panik also tallied against his former team in the Blackhawks' 5-4 shootout win over Toronto on Oct. 22, a contest that saw William Nylander record his first career multi-goal performance. The 20-year-old extended his point streak to six games with an assist to join fellow rookies Auston Matthews (team-leading 31 goals) and Mitch Marner (club-best 38 assists) by reaching the 50-point plateau.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, CBC, CITY (Toronto), NHL.TV

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (45-20-5): Patrick Kane (team-leading 31 goals), who has 16 tallies and 28 points in his last 18 contests, notched an assist on Thursday to extend his point streak to four games (two goals, five assists). "Hockey is kind of a funny sport like that," the reigning Hart Trophy winner told the Chicago Sun-Times of his blistering hot streak. "You see a lot of guys go through stretches where they're not scoring, then they get really hot. And once you get hot, you just have that good feeling, and confidence is a huge part of this game." Reigning Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin has reason to be confident with three goals and two assists during his four-game point streak heading into the tilt with Toronto, against which he had a pair of assists in October.

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (32-23-13): Frederik Anderson rebounded from an unexpected early exit in his last outing by thwarting Brayden Point on a partial breakaway to highlight his 33-save performance in a 5-0 win at Tampa Bay. The abbreviated start on Tuesday versus Florida notwithstanding, the 27-year-old Dane has yielded just 17 goals and owns a .939 save percentage in his past nine starts. Tyler Bozak, who scored in the first meeting with Chicago, has two goals and six assists in his last seven games.

OVERTIME

1. Matthews, who had two assists in the first encounter with Chicago, has been held off the scoresheet in seven straight games.

2. Blackhawks G Corey Crawford owns a 10-3-0 mark with a .925 save percentage in his last 13 appearances.

3. The Maple Leafs will honor on the earliest eras in the franchise's history by wearing the uniforms of the Toronto St. Pats (1919-1927).

PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 4, Blackhawks 3

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