Montreal Canadiens (8-7-1, sixth in the Atlantic Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6-6-3, eighth in the Central Division)
Chicago; Friday, 2 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Blackhawks aim to end a five-game slide when they take on the Montreal Canadiens.
Chicago is 6-6-3 overall and 4-5-1 at home. The Blackhawks have given up 45 goals while scoring 38 for a -7 scoring differential.
Montreal is 8-7-1 overall and 4-4-1 on the road. The Canadiens have a 4-0-1 record in one-goal games.
Friday's game is the third time these teams square off this season. The Blackhawks won 3-2 in overtime in the previous meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Patrick Kane has three goals and 11 assists for the Blackhawks. Andreas Athanasiou has three goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
Nicholas Suzuki has scored 11 goals with 12 assists for the Canadiens. Kirby Dach has three goals and eight assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blackhawks: 2-7-1, averaging 1.7 goals, 2.9 assists, 3.2 penalties and eight penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game.
Canadiens: 5-4-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.3 assists, 4.5 penalties and 13.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.8 goals per game.
INJURIES: Blackhawks: Alex Stalock: out (concussion), Tyler Johnson: out (ankle).
Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin: out (upper-body), Carey Price: out (knee), Emil Heineman: out (thumb), Paul Byron: out (hip), Mike Hoffman: day to day (lower-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
