'Wednesday Night Hockey': 5 Storylines

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks have each won the Stanley Cup three times in the past 10 seasons, but neither holds a playoff berth entering their "Wednesday Night Hockey" game at United Center (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVAS).

The Penguins (13-10-6) are 3-0-1 in their past four games and are tied in points with the New York Islanders (32), who hold third place in the Metropolitan Division with one more regulation/overtime win. The Blackhawks (9-18-5) look like they're on the way to their second straight non-playoff season; they've lost eight in a row, including a 6-3 defeat at the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, and are last in the NHL standings with 23 points.
Here are 5 storylines to watch:

Chicago's collapse

It's hard to remember now, but less than seven weeks ago the Blackhawks were among the NHL's early-season surprises. They were 6-2-2 through 10 games after a 4-1 win against the New York Rangers on Oct. 25. Not much has gone right since then; Chicago went 0-4-1 in its next five games before firing longtime coach Joel Quenneville and replacing him with Jeremy Colliton, who had been coaching Rockford of the American Hockey League.
But the Blackhawks are 3-12-2 since the coaching change, and they've trailed by at least two goals at some point in every one of their eight straight losses. Chicago's minus-34 goal differential is the worst in the NHL, and Colliton's coaching skills and patience are going to get a real test with the task of trying to turn around a team that was one of the League's best for nearly a decade.

Penguins on rise

Pittsburgh's season has had its ups and downs, but the Penguins are on an upswing after a 1-7-2 slump dropped them to last place in the Metropolitan Division. They are 6-2-2 since, including three wins and an overtime loss in their past four games despite a lower-body injury to starting goaltender Matt Murray (who had been struggling before being placed on injured reserve three weeks ago) and defenseman Justin Schultz (broken leg), among others. Unlike the Blackhawks, Pittsburgh's slump looks like an anomaly; a good team that had a bad stretch and has put the wheels back on.

Chasing the game

It's hard to win when you're constantly playing from behind, an issue the Blackhawks have become painfully aware of. When forward Artem Anisimov scored last Thursday to give them a 3-2 third-period lead against the Vegas Golden Knights, it was the first time Chicago had led a game in regulation in 527 minutes, 14 seconds, since closing out a 3-1 win against the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 18. The lead against Vegas lasted all of 41 seconds, and the Golden Knights scored again 12 seconds later for a 4-3 win. The Blackhawks haven't scored first since the win against the Wild and have trailed by multiple goals in each of its past 11 games (including 4-0 against the Jets). Chicago is 1-10-0 in those games; the win came in overtime against the Florida Panthers on Nov. 24 after the Blackhawks trailed 2-0 and 4-2.

Murray ready to return?

The Penguins said after Murray was a full participant in practice Tuesday that he may be ready to return after missing nine games. He'll have to play a lot better than his pre-injury showing (4-5-1, 4.08 goals-against average, .877 save percentage) to avoid losing playing time to Casey DeSmith, who has capitalized on the opportunity to start.
DeSmith's teammates raved about his play in a 2-1 shootout win at the New York Islanders on Monday, when he made 25 saves and was named the game's second star. DeSmith has a 2.34 GAA, a .925 save percentage and two shutouts to go along with a 9-4-4 record; he's 6-1-1 in his past eight starts and has made the case for a bigger share of playing time even after Murray returns.

Malkin looking for breakout

Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin had 98 points in 2017-18, his best showing since 2011-12 when he led the NHL with 109, and looked like he would at least match last season's production when he started out with 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in Pittsburgh's first 11 games.
But Malkin has cooled off markedly since then, with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in the next 18 games, a stretch when he's also gone minus-10. Malkin has three points (one goal, two assists) in Pittsburgh's past seven games, and at times he's been almost invisible. His season numbers (33 points in 29 games) are still good enough to be tied with Phil Kessel for the Penguins scoring lead, but they need him to produce on a nightly basis.