Preview: Blackhawks at Canadiens

[November 04, 2014]  A pair of teams struggling to score goals attempt to break out of offensive funks when the Montreal Canadiens host the slumping Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Montreal looks to bounce back from its first home loss of the season, a 6-2 setback against Calgary on Sunday that marked its third defeat in the last four games. The Canadiens have scored only five goals in that span and are having major issues with their power play, failing to convert on 13 chances over their last six contests.

The Blackhawks also have dropped three of their last four, including a pair of 1-0 losses at home that defies explanation for a roster laden with skill players. Since a 4-0-1 start to the season, Chicago has lost six of its last seven and been limited to two goals or fewer six times in that span. "It's frustrating, but what are you going to do?" Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "You have to work through it. You have to find a way to break out of that funk that we're in as far as goal-scoring goes."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, RSN East, RDS (Montreal)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (6-5-1): Chicago is not lacking for scoring chances, outshooting 10 of its 12 opponents and pumping a league-high 461 shots on net, but coach Joel Quenneville wants more than a high volume of shots. "We still have to get better net-front presence," Quenneville said. "We've talked about that enough. It seems to be an issue. If teams are going to play hard and they're going to try to keep it to the outside, you've got to find a way to get inside." Corey Crawford, who has lost both starts since returning from a five-game injury absence, is 2-0-2 with a 1.73 goals-against average versus Montreal.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (8-3-1): Veteran defenseman Andrei Markov, who has spent his entire career with Montreal since the team drafted him in the sixth round in 1998, notched an assist against the Flames to give him 447 points for his career. That pushed Markov into a tie with Hall-of-Famer Doug Harvey for third place among defensemen on the storied franchise's all-time scoring list. “I never thought I would have reached that mark and gone that far. It’s something special," said Markov, now in his 14th season. "It’s a great feeling to be among the legends and to hold a place in the great history of our team."

OVERTIME

1. The home team has won each of the last nine meetings in the all-time series.

2. The Canadiens have allowed their opponents to score first in 10 of their 12 games.

3. Chicago has killed off 21-of-22 penalties over its last eight games.

PREDICTION: Canadiens 3, Blackhawks 2

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