Preview: Blackhawks at Wild

[March 29, 2016]  Although the Chicago Blackhawks have had their number in the last three playoff series, the Minnesota Wild look to complete a season sweep of the reigning Stanley Cup champions on Tuesday when the Central Division rivals meet at Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota, which resides three points ahead of Colorado for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, strengthened its bid for a fourth consecutive postseason berth with wins in five straight overall and six in a row in the regular season with Chicago dating to 2014-15.

Zach Parise has been heating up en route to being named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday, highlighted by his fifth career hat trick and third of the season on Thursday and a two-goal performance two nights later in a 4-0 victory over Colorado. "You knew it was coming," Wild interim coach and former Blackhawks assistant John Torchetti told the Minneapolis Star Tribune of Parise. "His work ethic is way above the bar." Chicago knows a thing or two about getting things accomplished, as it punched its ticket to the playoffs for the eighth straight season with a 3-2 victory versus Vancouver on Sunday. Andrew Ladd has three goals and an assist in the first two contests of the four-game road trip for the Blackhawks, who trail Central co-leaders Dallas and St. Louis by four points and lead surging Nashville by four.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago-Plus, FSN North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (44-25-7): Scott Darling and Teuvo Teravainen have stepped up their respective games during the road trip as Chicago looks to get itself back on track. "He was our best player both games," Ladd told CSN Chicago of Darling, who is expected to make his sixth straight start on Tuesday. "A lot of times, especially in those big penalty kills, he has to come up with big saves. He's played great for us the last little bit." Teuvo Teravainen extended his point streak to three games after tallying in back-to-back contests to begin the trek, but the 21-year-old Finn has failed to dent the scoresheet in all seven career encounters with Minnesota.

ABOUT THE WILD (37-28-11): After serving as one of last season's feel-good stories, Devan Dubnyk continues to add to the current chapter with an impressive 10-1-1 mark and a .930 save percentage in his last 13 appearances. "I really like how we're going lately," the 29-year-old Dubnyk told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "Guys are working real hard and getting the job done and making it easy on me." Dubnyk has been in net for all four of Minnesota's victories over Chicago this season, stopping 109 of 119 shots.

OVERTIME

1. Chicago is 0-for-23 on the power play in the last eight games while Minnesota has thwarted 24 of its last 25 short-handed situations.

2. Wild LW Ryan Carter returned to practice on Monday after sitting out the last four games with an upper-body injury.

3. Blackhawks D Michal Rozsival was nominated for the Masterton Trophy on Monday.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 3, Wild 2

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