It never is easy for an opponent to go on the road to
face the Chicago Blackhawks.
For the Tampa Bay Lightning, the challenge could be particularly
tough. An illness has spread through the locker room, which could
be part of the reason the Lightning (21-22-5) are winless in their
last three games and stumbled to the bottom of the Eastern
Conference.
Defenseman Victor Hedman missed three games last week because of
the illness. Fellow defenseman Jason Garrison has not skated since
Thursday because he is sick, and other players could be feeling the
effects of the bug.
"It's leaking through our team and staff," coach Jon Cooper told
the Tampa Bay Times.
The outlook is much happier and healthier for the Blackhawks
(30-14-5), who won three games in a row and are 7-2-0 in their last
nine contests. Chicago improved to 18-5-4 at home after a 4-2 win
over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.
The Blackhawks squandered a 2-0 lead before rallying with two late
goals.
"We're happy with the two points," center Jonathan Toews told
reporters after the game. "But obviously, it's not the only
instance where we've kind of given up a one- or two-goal lead late
in games. So it's something we can work on."
Toews and his teammates will try to build and protect a lead
tonight in their first meeting against the Lightning this season.
The teams will meet again in Tampa on March 27.
The matchup elicits memories of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, in
which the Blackhawks ousted the Lightning in six games to win the
championship. A year-and-a-half later, the Blackhawks are seeking
another deep run into the playoffs as the Lightning struggle to
find their identity.
"Obviously, we never want to be in the spot we're in," goaltender
Ben Bishop told the Tampa Bay Times. "But at the same time, we're
still in striking distance. We want to go on a run."
Bishop was yanked from his previous start, but he could return to
face Chicago. He is 11-11-3 with a .905 save percentage and 2.78
goals-against average this season.
If Bishop sits, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will take his place.
Vasilevskiy is 10-11-2 with a .907 save percentage and 2.86 GAA.
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville likely will turn to Corey
Crawford in net after he recorded his 200th career victory against
the Canucks. Crawford is 18-10-3 with a .919 save percentage and
2.52 GAA.
Chicago's high-powered attack on offense is led by right winger
Patrick Kane, who has 48 points (15 G, 33 A) in 49 games. Kane's
linemate, left wing Artemi Panarin, ranks second on the team with
43 points (17 G, 26 A).
Right wing Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 42 points (17
G, 25 A) in 41 games. The next best scorer is Hedman, who has 38
points (7 G, 31 A) in 45 contests.
Tampa Bay right winger J.T. Brown's status is uncertain for the
game. Brown has not played since Jan. 7 because of an upper-body
injury, but he returned to full-contact practice this week. He
tallied two goals and two assists in 35 games before he was injured.
