5 Reasons to watch Maple Leafs-Blackhawks

Neither the Toronto Maple Leafs nor the Chicago Blackhawks have been playing their best hockey heading into United Center for the Wednesday Night Rivalry game (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports, NHL.TV).
Though the Maple Leafs are comfortably in third place in the Atlantic Division, they are 1-2-3 in their past six games, including a 4-2 loss at home to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

The Blackhawks have lost three in a row and are 1-4-0 entering the finale of a six-game homestand. Chicago is in danger of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Each team likes to push the pace offensively but has had problems keeping the puck out of its own net, which should make for an up-and-down game with plenty of scoring chances.
Here are 5 reasons to tune in:

Auston Matthews

The Calder Trophy winner last season has missed 10 games with injuries, but when healthy he's been very productive. Matthews has 36 points (21 goals, 15 assists) in 39 games, including goals in back-to-back games against the Ottawa Senators and Avalanche. The hoopla that accompanied him for most of his rookie season has disappeared but he's still a threat to score or set up a goal every time he's on the ice and he's the engine that makes Toronto's offense go.

Patrick Kane

Kane has been the one constant for the Blackhawks this season. Despite playing with an ever-changing succession of linemates (https://www.nhl.com/news/patrick-kane-the-constant-for-blackhawks/c-295187420), he leads the Blackhawks in goals (20), assists (28) and points (48). He earned his 800th NHL point during a 7-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, becoming the fifth player in Blackhawks history to reach that milestone.

Frederik Andersen

Matthews may get the most attention on the Maple Leafs, but there's a good argument to be made that Andersen is their most important player. On a team that often struggles defensively, Andersen erases a lot of mistakes. His 2.69 goals-against average isn't spectacular but his .920 save percentage is a much better gauge of what he means to a young team that tends to allow a lot of high-quality scoring chances. Andersen has held up well despite facing a League-leading 1,384 shots in 41 games, meaning he doesn't have a lot of margin for error.

Blackhawks goaltending

The absence of starting goaltender Corey Crawford with an upper-body injury is a big reason the Blackhawks will have to scramble to qualify for the postseason. Anton Forsberg and 32-year-old rookie Jeff Glass each has had his moments, but neither has been able to put together the kind of consistency the Blackhawks need to make the playoffs. With Crawford out for the immediate future, one of the two must step up for Chicago to make a postseason push.

Mike Babcock vs. Joel Quenneville

A win by the Maple Leafs would be Babcock's 623rd in the NHL, which would leave him exactly 250 behind Quenneville, who's second on the all-time list with 873 behind Scotty Bowman's 1,244. Among NHL coaches with at least 500 games, Quenneville's .616 points percentage is fourth and Babcock's .607 is sixth. The Blackhawks have dominated the Maple Leafs since Quenneville took over early in the 2008-09 season: Chicago is 10-2-1 against Toronto under Quenneville, though the Maple Leafs won 4-3 in overtime on March 9 for their first victory against the Blackhawks in five games under Babcock.