Blackhawks at Maple Leafs preview
Kane two from 1,000 NHL points for Chicago; Toronto starts Andersen in goal
by Dave McCarthy / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
BLACKHAWKS (22-20-6) at MAPLE LEAFS (25-16-7)
7 p.m. ET; NHLN, CBC, SN1, SNO, SNW, SNP, NHL.TV
The Game
Patrick Kane can become the youngest United States-born player to reach 1,000 points when the Chicago Blackhawks face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena.
Kane has 998 points (380 goals, 618 assists) in 951 NHL games. He has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) during an eight-game point streak.
Corey Crawford will start for the Blackhawks, who will try to match a season-high four game winning streak.
Frederik Andersen will start for the Maple Leafs, who are 1-2-2 in their past five games.
Players to watch
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has eight points (two goals, six assists) during a four-game point streak.
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in his past 14 games.
They said it
"I'm almost sick of hearing about it already, but in all seriousness, it is special and it's kind of crazy how fast he's gotten it too. Nothing really seems to faze him or take him away from that consistent production. I'll try and go out there and see if I can help him get it over with." -- Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews on Patrick Kane approaching 1,000 points
"For a guy who is as well-known and great as he is, he still finds a way to get lost out there, find open space and put you on your heels. It's an impressive trait of his, let alone his puck skills and his ability to beat you by finding an open man or being deceptive and being able to score with the great wrist shot that he has." -- Maple Leafs forward John Tavares on Kane
Blackhawks projected lineup
Dominik Kubalik -- Jonathan Toews -- Brandon Saad
Alex Nylander -- Ryan Carpenter -- Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat -- David Kampf -- Kirby Dach
Drake Caggiula -- Zack Smith -- Matthew Highmore
Duncan Keith -- Adam Boqvist
Erik Gustafsson -- Connor Murphy
Olli Maatta -- Slater Koekkoek
Corey Crawford
Robin Lehner
Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Dylan Sikura, Brandon Hagel
Injured: Brent Seabrook (right shoulder/both hips surgery), Calvin de Haan (right shoulder surgery), Andrew Shaw (concussion), Dylan Strome (ankle)
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Zach Hyman -- Auston Matthews -- Mitchell Marner
Pierre Engvall -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Andreas Johnsson -- Alexander Kerfoot -- Kasperi Kapanen
Dmytro Timashov -- Jason Spezza -- Frederik Gauthier
Martin Marincin -- Tyson Barrie
Travis Dermott -- Justin Holl
Rasmus Sandin -- Cody Ceci
Frederik Andersen
Michael Hutchinson
Scratched: Adam Brooks, Timothy Liljegren
Injured: Trevor Moore (concussion), Ilya Mikheyev (wrist laceration), Jake Muzzin (foot), Morgan Rielly (fractured foot)
Status report
Saad will return after missing the past 12 games with an ankle injury. ... Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said he could make some lineup changes after "seeing how some guys are after warmup."
Stat pack
Kubalik has 15 points (10 goals, five assists) in his past 13 games. ... Marner has 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in his past 18 games, recording at least one point in 16 of those games. ... Toronto has scored at least four goals in 12 of their past 15 games.