Preview: Blackhawks At Wild

[May 13, 2014]  The Minnesota Wild attempt to stave off elimination and remain perfect at home in the playoffs as they host the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 of their Western Conference second-round series on Tuesday. Minnesota truly has taken advantage of home ice this postseason, winning each of its first five games at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild fell behind 0-2 in each series but battled back to even things up before dropping Game 5 on the road.

Minnesota looks for the same results against Chicago as it produced versus Colorado in the first round, when it captured Game 6 at home before winning the deciding seventh game on the road. The reigning Stanley Cup-champion Blackhawks have different plans as they try to improve upon their 1-4 record away from home this postseason. Captain Jonathan Toews put Chicago in position to advance to the conference final with one more victory on Sunday, when he scored his league-leading fourth game-winning goal just over 4 1/2 minutes into the third period.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, CNBC, TSN, RDS2

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS: While Toews has had the knack for scoring the decisive goal, Bryan Bickell continues to just produce in the playoffs. The 28-year-old entered Monday with a share of the league lead with six tallies in 11 games after scoring 11 times in 59 regular-season contests. This comes after Bickell followed a nine-goal effort during the abbreviated 2012-13 campaign with nine in 23 postseason games during Chicago's run to the championship.

ABOUT THE WILD: Minnesota hopes to have a pair of regulars back in the lineup. Matt Moulson (lower body) and defenseman Keith Ballard (upper body), who both missed Game 5, skated on Monday and will do so again Tuesday morning before a decision is made on their status. Rookie Erik Haula has scored six goals in 12 playoff games after netting six in 46 regular-season contests.

OVERTIME

1. Chicago registered 28 shots on goal Sunday, marking the first time in the series it eclipsed the 22-shot mark.

2. Wild LW Zach Parise leads the team with 14 points and has been kept off the scoresheet in only three of his 12 postseason games.

3. Toews recorded six game-winning goals in 75 contests over the first five postseasons of his career.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Wild 2

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