Preview: Blackhawks at Devils

[October 28, 2016]  While captain Jonathan Toews is mired in his traditional slow start to a season, the Chicago Blackhawks have overcome their own early missteps to post a 3-1-1 mark in their last five games. Coach Joel Quenneville plans to group Toews with reigning Hart Trophy winner Patrick Kane (club high-tying six assists) and Richard Panik (team-leading six goals) on the top line Friday as the Blackhawks visit the New Jersey Devils.

"I don't think you're ever worried about him,” Kane told the Chicago Sun-Times of Toews (zero goals), who failed to score in his first seven games last season and had one goal through that stretch in the previous season. "He's going to produce, he's going to be effective on the ice. I'm sure he wants to produce more, but I don't think that's anything we're really worried about yet." While Toews is sputtering, Taylor Hall has continued his sizzling stretch out of the gate with two goals and an assist in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Arizona. The top overall pick of the 2010 draft, Hall has notched all six of his points on home ice and has recorded four goals in the first six games of the season for the second time in three years.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), MSG-Plus (New Jersey)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (3-3-1): With Kane elevated to play with Toews, Marian Hossa will take the former's spot in the trio with Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov. "It's not like we're too far away from going back to (the vaunted Panarin-Anisimov-Kane line) at any time,” coach Joel Quenneville told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s always close and available. But maybe we get more balance and a little more scoring across the board (this way)." Hossa has recorded 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) in 45 career meetings with the Devils.

ABOUT THE DEVILS (3-2-1): Goaltender Keith Kinkaid is slated to make his first start of the season on Friday while workhorse Cory Schneider is tabbed to get the nod Saturday versus Tampa Bay. "I'm very excited," the 27-year-old Kinkaid (9-9-1 last season) told NorthJersey.com. "I'll finally get some game action. I just want to help the guys out." Kinkaid has been idle since playing in the first half of the Devils' 2-0 preseason win over Philadelphia on Sept 26 and the entirety of a 2-0 setback to the Flyers two days later.

OVERTIME

1. New Jersey C Travis Zajac, who scored twice in the third period on Tuesday, has five points (three goals, two assists) in his last five games.

2. Blackhawks G Corey Crawford has limped out of the gate with a 1-3-1 mark and 3.02 goals-against average and owns a 1-2-1 record in four career encounters with the Devils.

3. New Jersey, which is 3-0-0 at home and 0-2-1 on the road this season, will look to exploit Chicago's 30th-ranked penalty kill (46.1 percent).

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 3, Devils 2

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.