The Chicago Blackhawks and LA Kings are playing live on the NHL schedule on Wednesday night and the matchup from the Staples Center in Los Angeles starts at 10:30 pm ET on the NBC Sports Network and streaming from the NBCSN Live Extra website as the western conference finalists from last season face off.
The Blackhawks come into the game after a win against the Penguins in a shootout and they will matchup against the Ducks after playing the Kings. That is a tough stretch for the Blackhawks, as they have two of the best teams in the Penguins and the Ducks and also have the defending Stanley Cup champs in Los Angeles. The team comes in ranked fifth in the league in goals per game and second in goals against, while the special teams is ranked first in penalty kill percentage.
The Blackhawks come in second in the central division this season with 62 points and they have a 30-15-2 record overall. The Kings come in fifth in the Pacific division with 52 points and they will play against the Bruins on the road next and they come in after a loss against the San Jose Sharks. The Kings have been up and down this year and they come in after putting Mike Richards on waivers and now he will try and salvage his career in the minors.
The Kings come in at 15th in the league in goals per game and the penalty kill percentage has been a mess, ranking 25th in the league. Patrick Kane is leading the Blackhawks in points, goals and assists this year, while Marian Gaborik is tops in goals for LA. The Kings have been getting some strong play from Anze Kopitar and Los Angeles is looking to get things going in the second half of the year. The Kings came into the All-Star break on a four game losing streak and Jonathan Quick has been struggling in net for the team.
Chicago has played well as of late and they have won four in a row and come in having lost just once in the last six games against the Kings. Last year these two teams faced off in the western conference finals and now they are playing as the second half of the season starts to heat up. The Blackhawks had back to back wins before the break and now they come in looking to stay on this hot streak and Corey Crawford has played well after being out for a few week stretch. The Kings will be without Richards for the time being and they could look at trading him, but after he passed through waivers that is unlikely. Jonathan Toews comes in after an All-Star game appearance and he is looking to keep things going.
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