November 2009 Archives

* The Blackhawks have won four of their last five meetings with the Oilers, and the one loss came in a shootout.

* The Oilers are 7-3-1 with an average of 3.55 goals per game at home this season.

* Ales Hemsky has 14 points (5 G, 9 A) is his 10 home games this season.

* During their current five-game winning streak, the Blackhawks have outscored their opponents 20-9 while scoring on seven of 16 (43.8 percent) power-play opportunities.

* Patrick Kane has points in eight consecutive games and goals in each of the last four games.

* Cristobal Huet has stopped 118 of the 127 shots he has faced in the last five games. Huet is 5-0-0 with a 1.77 GAA and .929 save percentage in those five games.

* Chicago has won nine of its last 12 games against the Flames and will be looking to extend its current win streak against them to six in a row. The Blackhawks have also won five in a row at Calgary.

* The Flames have lost three of their last four home games after winning five of their previous six there.

* The Blackhawks have dropped each of their last three road games and will be seeking their first win away from home since October 15. Chicago has won four straight games overall.

* Patrick Kane has recorded at least one point in 10 of his last 11 games, including each of his last seven contests. Kane has nine points (3g, 6a) in his last six games against the Flames.

* Jarome Iginla has scored eight goals in his last seven games.

* Calgary is averaging the second-fewest shots on goal per game in the league this season (26.0) while Chicago is averaging the fourth-most (33.2). 

* The Sharks and Blackhawks split their four games last season, with the Sharks winning the first two games and the Blackhawks winning the last two. Each team scored 16 goals in the season series, and each team had a power-play percentage over 40 percent (SJ: 46.7, Chi: 41.7).

*The Hawks are 9-2-1 at home and 2-3-1 on the road. Their next game at theUnited Center is December 1.

*San Jose's goaltending tandem of Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Greiss has combined for the league's top save percentage (.927).

* The Leafs dropped a 5-2 decision to the Wild on Tuesday and had their 7-game point streak (3-0-4 record) snapped in the process.

* Alexei Ponikarovsky lit the lamp for the second straight game Tuesday and now has a 3-game point streak overall (2g,1a). The big Russian winger has seven goals in 2009-10 - most of any Toronto skater.
* Chicago beat Colorado, 3-2, in a shootout Wednesday and has now won two straight and taken at least one point from three in a row overall. The Blackhawks have won five consecutive home games by a combined score of 15-6.
* Including a 5-4 overtime victory last season, the Blackhawks have beaten the Maple Leafs four straight times overall by a combined score of 18-10.
* Chicago's leading scorer, Patrick Kane lit the lamp Wednesday and now has a goal and six helpers during his current 5-game point streak.
* Lee Stempniak leads all Toronto players with 11 career goals and 21 career points in 23 games against Chicago. Stempniak has more goals and points vs. the Blackhawks than against any other NHL club.

* The Avs dropped a 5-3 decision to the Oilers on Sunday and have now lost three of four overall. This will be Colorado's 12^th road game of the season - tied with San Jose for most in the league.

* Chicago beat the Kings, 4-1, on Monday and has taken at least a point from its last four contests overall (2-1-1 record). This will be the third meeting of the season for these two clubs - the first two were split with each taking a shootout victory.
* Ryan O'Reilly has had just one "minus" game thus far in 2009-10 (-1 vs. Preds on 10/8) and his +13 rating is currently best of all Western Conference skaters. O'Reilly has 14 points this season - tied for tops among all NHL rookies.
* The Blackhawks have allowed just nine 3^rd-period goals in 2009-10 - fewest of any team in the league.
* Patrick Kane had a helper vs. the Kings on Saturday and is now riding a 4-game point streak for the Blackhawks. Kane leads all Chicago skaters with 16 points on the season.
* Colorado is averaging 18.3 blocked shots per game in 2009-10 - most of any team in the league.

* These teams split four games last season, with the home team winning each time. The series has featured an average of 7.6 goals per game since the beginning of 2007-08.

* The Blackhawks lost in a shootout at Colorado on Friday, their second straight defeat. But Chicago has won its last three home games. The Blackhawks have not scored more than three goals in any of their last nine games overall.

* The Kings dropped a 3-1 decision to Nashville on Saturday, snapping a streak of eight consecutive games in which they had come away with at least one point (6-0-2).

* With another point on Saturday, Anze Kopitar is up to 27 points in 17 games this season. He required twice as many games, 34, to reach 27 points last year. He also didn't reach 13 goals until his 50^th game in 2008-09.

* Kings goalie Jon Quick is 2-3-0 against the Central Division this season, as opposed to 8-1-2 versus all other divisions combined. He is 1-3-0 against the Blackhawks in his career.
* Dustin Byfuglien leads the Blackhawks in both goals (6, tied with Patrick Sharp) and penalty minutes (26). He's the only skater in the league to lead his team in both categories.

* The Blackhawks lost, 3-1, in Phoenix last night and have now dropped two straight on the road by a combined score of 5-1. Chicago is 3-0-0 in the second of back-to-back games this season.
* Colorado beat the Coyotes, 4-1, on Wednesday night and snapped its 2-game losing streak in the process. Entering play tonight, the Avs have the best record in the West at 11-3-2.
* Including a 4-3 shootout win on October 10, Chicago has beaten Colorado six of the last nine times the two teams have met.
* Kris Versteeg has lit the lamp in each of his last two skates after scoring just twice in his first 12 games of 2009-10. Versteeg has three assists in five career games vs. the Avs.
* Milan Hejduk scored twice vs. the Coyotes on Wednesday night - his first multi-goal game since February 24 last season. Hejduk has lit the lamp in two straight and three of his last five skates vs. Chicago overall.
* Colorado has 18 different players that have scored at least one goal this season - tied for second-most in hockey.

* Chicago has won eight of its last nine games against Phoenix, including six in a row.

* Phoenix has lost each of its last two games after winning seven of its previous nine contests. The Coyotes have just one regulation win at Jobing.com Arena this season.

* The Blackhawks have won three of their last four games, allowing just five goals in those four contests.

* Patrick Kane has recorded five points in his last five games (1g, 4a) and has six points in seven career games against the Coyotes.

* Ilya Bryzgalov has won four of his last five home starts, posting a 2.13 GAA in those five games. Bryzgalov is winless (0-4-2) with a 3.76 GAA in his last six starts against the Blackhawks.

* Patrick Sharp scored the game-winner against Montreal last Friday after going pointless in his previous four games. Sharp has lit the lamp in three of his last four games against the Coyotes.