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 "The little details go away a bit the longer you miss, but who
knows?" Crawford told the Chicago Tribune of his comfort level in
net. "Practices have been pretty hard, pretty intense, technical
stuff with (goaltending coach Jimmy Waite) I've been working on. It
feels good." If all goes well in Saturday's contest, Crawford likely
will start the third-place Blackhawks' first-round series against
either St. Louis or Dallas as the latter two clubs battle for the
Central Division title. Columbus' postseason aspirations were dashed
long ago, but the Blue Jackets posted their second straight win and
third in four contests with a 4-1 victory over Buffalo on Friday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (47-26-8): Captain Jonathan Toews extended his
goal-scoring streak to three games and point run to six (three
goals, five assists) in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to St. Louis.
Toews has tormented the Blue Jackets with 38 points (16 goals, 22
assists) in as many career meetings, including an assist in
Chicago's 4-1 victory on Oct. 17. Veteran Marian Hossa and fellow
forward Artem Anisimov scored in that contest, but both are nursing
respective lower- and upper-body injuries and joined Andrew Shaw
(upper body) in failing to make the trip to Ohio.
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ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (33-40-8): Former Blackhawk Brandon Saad, who
was acquired in a blockbuster seven-player deal last summer, scored
his career-high 30th goal during the third period of Friday's tilt.
Linemate Oliver Bjorkstrand notched an assist on the tally to extend
his point streak to four games. Bjorkstrand, however, joined Josh
Anderson in being assigned to the minors to suit up for Lake Erie of
the American Hockey League when it faces Rochester.
OVERTIME
1. Chicago RW Patrick Kane has recorded five goals and four assists
during his four-game point streak and also scored in the first
meeting with Columbus.
2. Blue Jackets minor league F Brett Gallant collapsed on the bench
of Friday's contest in Toronto, but Lake Erie later tweeted that the
27-year-old was "alert and conscious."
3. The Blackhawks have killed off all 19 short-handed situations in
their last seven games.
PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 3, Blackhawks 2
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