November 2010 Archives

* These teams have split their two matchups so far this season. The Blackhawks won the first meeting on October 18, 3-2 in overtime, while the Blues won the second matchup on October 22, 4-2. 

* At 5-7-0, Chicago is one regulation home loss shy of tying its home loss total from all of last season when they went 29-8-4. The Blackhawks have won two straight and five of their last seven games overall.

* The Blues have lost each of their last two games overall and five of their last six away from home.

* Patrick Sharp has six points (4g, 2a) during his current four-game point streak, while scoring a goal in each game in that span. Sharp has lit the lamp in two straight and four of his last five games against the Blues.

* Jaroslav Halak is 1-4-0 with a 4.72 GAA and .826 save percentage in his last five road starts and has dropped each of his last two starts overall.

* Patrick Kane has four multi-point performances in his last seven games after having three in his first 18 contests of the season. Kane has at least one point in seven of his last nine games against St. Louis (1g, 8a).

*Including the playoffs, the Hawks are 9-2-1 vs. the Sharks since the start of the 2008-09 season.

*Blackhawk defensemen led the NHL last year with 52 goals, but are only 17th in the league so far this year with 6.

*Only the Capitals (118) and the Sharks (113) have more wins than the Blackhawks (109) over the last two-plus seasons.

*Patrick Kane has seven points in his last four games.

* The Blackhawks blanked the Oilers, 5-0, on Wednesday and including two straight victories, have taken at least one point from three straight games overall (2-0-1 record).
* Calgary lost, 3-1, to the Coyotes on Wednesday - its third straight and seventh loss in the last eight games overall. The Flames went 0-for-2 with the man-advantage against Phoenix, snapping its 5-game power-play goal streak in the process.
* Chicago has won eight straight regular-season tilts vs. Calgary, outscoring the Flames by a combined score of 39-15 in those contests (since the beginning of 2008-09). In addition, the Blackhawks have won seven straight times in Calgary and haven't lost at the Saddledome in nearly four years overall (since a 4-1 setback on November 22, 2006).
* Jonathan Toews lit the lamp three times vs. Edmonton on Wednesday - his second career hat trick (also vs. Pittsburgh on February 27, 2009). Toews has just two goals in 11 career games vs. the Flames.
* Rene Bourque scored his ninth goal of the season Wednesday and now has six points (3g, 3a) in his last five games overall. A Blackhawk for his first three NHL campaigns, Bourque has never been on the winning side of a regular-season game vs. Chicago.
* The Blackhawks are averaging 3.4 goals per game on the road this season - best in West and second-best in the NHL overall (Boston-4.0).

* The Blackhawks have lost their last two games against the Oilers but have won their last four games in Edmonton.

* The Blackhawks started the season 5-2-1, but have gone 4-7-1 over their last 12 games. Their last two road games have been decided in the shootout, with the Blackhawks taking one of two.

* After their scoring seven goals against Chicago on October 29, the Oilers have scored 14 goals in seven games in November.

* After winning their first two games of the season, the Oilers have added just two wins over their last 14 games. The Oilers gave up seven unanswered goals to the Rangers to close out their last game.

* Jordan Eberle has an assist in each of his last three games but has a -4 rating over that span. Eberle leads all rookie forwards in ice time per game at more than 18 minutes.

* Duncan Keith has 12 points and a +5 rating in his last nine games against the Oilers. Keith has a -6 rating this season after posting a plus-minus rating of at least +20 in each of his last three seasons.

* Since the beginning of the 2007-08 season, Chicago is 10-1-1 when scoring at least three goals against the Predators (2-5-2 when scoring two or fewer).

* Jonathan Toews has recorded 12 points (4g, 8a) in his last seven games against the Predators, including at least one point in each of the seven games.

* Chicago has scored 20 goals in the first period this season, the most in the league.

* Nashville is just 2-for-42 (4.8 percent) on the power play in its last 11 games after starting the season with four power-play goals in 13 chances (30.8 percent) in its first three games.

* Shea Weber is one of five players in the league with at least 25 blocked shots and 40 hits this season.

* The Predators have allowed seven power-play goals in the third period this season, tied for the most in the league.

* The Coyotes won three of the four matchups between these clubs last season, however, they have just one win in their last six trips to Chicago.

* The Blackhawks will be looking to snap their three-game home losing streak and avoid losing four in a row at home for the first time since March of 2008. Six of Chicago's eight regulation losses this season have come at home.

* Phoenix has dropped seven of its last nine games, including three in a row. The Coyotes six power-play goals this season are tied for the fewest among Western Conference clubs.

* Marty Turco has won four of his last six home starts and has shut out the Coyotes six times since the beginning of the 2006-07 season - most of any netminder versus any opponent in the league.

* Patrick Sharp has been held without a point in each of his last two home games after posting six points (3g, 3a) in his previous three there. Sharp has two goals and an assist in his last four home games against the Coyotes.

* Fernando Pisani has lit the lamp in two of his last three games after scoring just two goals in his previous 40 contests.

* Last time the Oilers faced Marty Turco, they were able to score four goals on just 12 shots on goal.

* Jonathan Toews, who had a hand in all four Blackhawks goals last night, has recorded four multi-point contests over his last five games against the Oilers.

* Last night, the Blackhawks picked up the win over Atlanta despite allowing three power-play goals. Over the last 8+ seasons, the Blackhawks have won just three times when allowing a trio of power-play goals.

* Ryan Whitney has been incredibly unselfish this season, picking up all 9 of his points on assists.

* The Blackhawks have won back-to-back games against the Thrashers, scoring a shorthanded goal in each contest.

* For the third time this season, the Blackhawks have lost back-to-back games. Over their first 44 games last season, Chicago lost back-to-back games on just three occasions.

* The Thrashers have not allowed a single power-play goal over their last six games.

* So far this season, the Blackhawks are 6-2-0 when not allowing a single power-play goal, and 1-5-1 when allowing one power-play goal.

* Former Blackhawks Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien, currently tied for the Thrashers' lead with 12 points apiece, will be facing their former team for the first time.

* Duncan Keith has recorded four multi-point games over his last five contests.

* Following the lockout, the Devils won the first three games in this series, but the Blackhawks have come back to win the last three meetings. The Blackhawks have outscored the Devils 10-4 in those three games.

* In their last meeting on April 2, 2010, the Blackhawks won 2-1 in the shootout. There were no penalties in the game and it was the only game last season where there were no penalties called. The Blackhawks are one of the NHL's most disciplined teams so far this season, averaging less than 10 penalty minutes a game, second-fewest in the NHL.

* The Blackhawks lead the NHL in goals scored while the Devils rank last. Chicago has scored twice as many goals (40) as New Jersey (20) despite having played just one more game than the Devils.

* The Devils will have an even tougher time trying to score without forward Zach Parise for the next three months. Parise scored more than one-sixth (17.6%) of the Devils' goals last season.

* Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith has at least two points in his last four games. Keith has totaled one goal and eight assists over his last four games while having a plus-minus rating of +3.

* New Jersey forward Travis Zajac has been more active offensively during the first five games of this road trip, tallying 17 shots, including eight in the game in Los Angeles. Zajac has no points to show for it, however.

* The Blackhawks beat the Wild, 3-1, in Minnesota on Saturday and are now 3-1-1 on the road in 2010-11. Dating to the end of March last season, Chicago is 7-1-1 away from home overall.
* New York shut out Toronto, 2-0, Saturday and snapped its 2-game losing streak in the process. The Rangers have just one victory at MSG this season (1-3-1 at home in 2010-11 overall).
* Including a 2-1 overtime setback last December 9, the Rangers are 3-0-1-2 vs. the Blackhawks in the two clubs' last six meetings. New York hasn't dropped a regulation game to Chicago since a 4-3 loss on December 11, 2002.
* Henrik Lundqvist recorded his first shutout of 2010-11 and the 25^th of his career on Saturday - fourth-most among all Rangers' netminders all-time. Lundqvist is 3-0-2 with a 1.76 GAA and .939 save percentage in five career starts vs. Chicago.
* Ryan Callahan lit the lamp vs. Toronto on Saturday and is now riding a 6-game point streak overall (4g, 5a during streak). Callahan has a goal in a career-high four straight contests.
* Duncan Keith scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal for the Blackhawks on Saturday and is now riding a 3-game point streak overall (1g, 6a during streak). Patrick Kane had two helpers vs. the Wild, extending his current point streak to four straight contests (1g, 4a during streak).