PREVIEW: Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes - March 30, 2021

TIME: 6:30 p.m. CT
TV:NBCSCH | RADIO:WGN 720-AM / TUDN 1200-AM | STREAM:
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The Blackhawks continue their season-long six-game homestand on Tuesday night, opening a two-game set with the Carolina Hurricanes at the United Center.

TEAM RECORDS

CHI: 16-15-7, 37 PTS
CAR: 23-7-3, 49 PTS

LAST TIME OUT

Chicago fell to the Nashville Predators twice over the weekend, most recently a 3-2 defeat on Sunday night at the United Center. Alex DeBrincat tied the game at 2-2 with a pair of tallies 1:50 apart in the third period, but the Predators found the game winner with just under eight minutes to play. Malcolm Subban stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced in the defeat.
Carolina took a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Martin Necas netting the winner with just under four minutes to play in a 3-3 game, the fourth point of the night (2G, 2A) for the centerman. The Hurricanes have won three straight and have points in five straight coming into Tuesday night.
The Blackhawks split their two-game set with the Hurricanes earlier this season (Feb. 2 and 4) in Chicago, while Carolina defeated the Blackhawks in Raleigh on Feb. 19. Chicago's six goals in Feb. 4th's victory matched a season high (Jan. 24 vs. DET). Patrick Kane (3G, 5A) leads the team with eight points against the Hurricanes during the 2020-21 season. Nino Niederreiter (3G, 2A) leads the scoring for the visitors in the season series.

DOWN, NOT OUT

With the pair of weekend losses, Chicago dropped to a 3-7-0 record in their last 10 outings and a 16-15-7 record overall on the season. It's the worst stretch of the season for the once high-flying Blackhawks with seven of the 10 games over that time against teams above them in the Central Division standings.
"Ultimately we've got to get back to our mentality and our identity and the things that we did earlier in the year that allowed us to have success," head coach Jeremy Colliton said after Sunday's loss. "If we do, then we'll be fine."
"We have some adversity here just to get back to the way we were playing," Subban added. "We need to embrace it and just be ready for the challenge and try an surpass these obstacles. Just got to keep working hard and try and turn things around here."
Despite the recent trend, the Blackhawks remain tied with Nashville for the final playoff spot in the division with each team opening the final 20 games of the season on Tuesday night.

ON THE PROWL

Alex DeBrincat notched his fourth multi-goal game this season with two markers against the Predators on Sunday. Since he returned to the lineup on Feb. 2 after being removed from COVID-19 protocol, DeBrincat shares the NHL lead with 16 goals and shares seventh with 29 points. His 18 markers overall during the 2020-21 campaign share fifth in the league.

SWISS BLISS

Pius Suter recorded his first career multi-assist game and extended his point streak (3G, 2A) to a career-long four games on Sunday night. It was his second multi-point game of the season. Suter shares the lead among NHL rookies this year (Kirill Kaprizov) with 11 markers and shares fifth among rookies with 18 points.
He won a team-high 10 draws against the Predators on Sunday, the third instance this season in which he has won 10 faceoffs in a game.