Preview: Blackhawks at Stars

[March 21, 2015]  The Chicago Blackhawks have overcome the loss of leading scorer Patrick Kane to surge back into contention in the Central Division and go for their fifth consecutive victory at the Dallas Stars on Saturday. The Blackhawks kicked off their four-game road trip by snapping the New York Rangers' five-game winning streak with a 1-0 triumph on Wednesday. Chicago has yielded only seven goals during its seven-game point streak in March (6-0-1) to move within four points of first-place St. Louis.

The Stars scored three third-period goals in a 6-3 victory at Chicago on Jan. 18 but they have lost seven straight home games to the Blackhawks. Dallas has won six of eight to keep its long-shot playoff hopes alive, trailing Winnipeg by eight points for the second wild card in the Western Conference. "We know we have to pretty well run the table here," rookie Brett Ritchie said. "We're not thinking about the next eleven games, we're just thinking about the next one against Chicago."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Southwest (Dallas)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (43-21-6): Kane skated for the first time since breaking his collarbone on Feb. 24. - "He was flying out there," coach Joel Quenneville said - but the timetable for his return has not changed from the original 12-week prognosis. Chicago has yielded two goals or fewer nine times during an 8-1-1 stretch and has excelled on the penalty kill over the past seven games, snuffing out 14 of 15 short-handed situations. “We still can’t be satisfied with anything and we've still got to get better as far as I’m concerned,” Quenneville said.

ABOUT THE STARS (33-28-10): Captain Jamie Benn snapped an 11-game goalless drought by scoring one and setting up another tally in Thursday's 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Dallas coach Lindy Ruff on Friday lavished praise on rookie Curtis McKenzie, who continues to provide a physical presence to the squad. “He’s growing as a player,” Ruff said. “It’s what you want to see, you want to see improvement. His confidence has grown. He has stuck his nose in a lot of places, and he’s really taken a leadership role with the young guys."

OVERTIME

1. Blackhawks F Patrick Sharp has a 10-game point streak against Dallas.

2. The Stars have struggled mightily within the division, going 5-13-7 against their Central rivals.

3. Blackhawks D Kimmo Timonen, acquired from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, will appear in his 1,100th career game.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Stars 3

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

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