Top scorers MacKinnon and Kane meet in Colorado-Chicago matchup
Chicago Blackhawks (32-31-10, seventh in the Central Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (33-29-12, sixth in the Central Division)
Denver; Saturday, 3 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: A pair of the NHL's best scorers, Nathan MacKinnon and Patrick Kane, meet when Colorado and Chicago take the ice at Pepsi Center. MacKinnon is seventh in the NHL with 91 points and Kane is third in the league with 101 points.
The Avalanche are 17-19-6 against conference opponents. Colorado averages 4.1 penalties per game, the most in the NHL. Ian Cole leads the team with 34 total penalties.
The Blackhawks are 11-6-3 against Central Division teams. Chicago ranks seventh in the league shooting 10.2 percent and averaging 3.3 goals on 32.5 shots per game. In their last meeting on Feb. 22, Colorado won 5-3. J.T. Compher recorded a team-high 3 points for the Avalanche.
TOP PERFORMERS: MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 37 goals, adding 54 assists and recording 91 points. Gabriel Landeskog has collected four assists over the last 10 games for Colorado.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blackhawks: 6-3-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.6 assists, 1.6 penalties and 3.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game with a .917 save percentage.
Avalanche: 5-5-0, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.4 assists, three penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game with a .935 save percentage.
Avalanche Injuries: Gabriel Landeskog: out (upper body), Matt Nieto: out (lower body).
Blackhawks Injuries: None listed.
