San Jose Sharks (29-33-10, seventh in the Pacific) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (24-38-11, seventh in the Central)
Chicago; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: San Jose travels to Chicago looking to stop its five-game road slide.
The Blackhawks are 13-22-8 against Western Conference opponents. Chicago is last in the Western Conference shooting 28.7 shots per game.
The Sharks are 15-21-5 in conference matchups. San Jose scores 2.6 goals per game, the least in the Western Conference. Timo Meier leads the team with 31 total goals.
In their last meeting on Nov. 28, San Jose won 2-0. Meier scored a team-high two goals for the Sharks in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Alex DeBrincat leads the Blackhawks with 39 goals and has 67 points. Patrick Kane has four goals and eight assists over the last 10 games for Chicago.
Meier leads the Sharks with 70 points, scoring 31 goals and collecting 39 assists. Tomas Hertl has seven assists over the last 10 games for San Jose.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blackhawks: 2-6-2, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.9 assists, 2.2 penalties and 4.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.9 goals per game with an .893 save percentage.
Sharks: 2-6-2, averaging 2.3 goals, 4.1 assists, four penalties and 10.2 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game with a .912 save percentage.
INJURIES: Blackhawks: None listed.
Sharks: Kevin Labanc: out (shoulder).
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