The Blackhawks have gon eon a bit of a tear since the last time these two teams met. It’s not luck either – even though they currently dress Daniel Carcillo in their top six (hockey’s version of the tasmanian devil, only slightly less rational) Chicago is one the very best possession teams in the league. Their corsi tied ratio (eliminated playing to score effects) is .567 (.565 fenwick ratio for the keeners). I don’t have to look anything up to know that’s in the top-3 in the league. The Flames, in contrast, are at about .513 while clubs like Edmonton and Minnesota are .460 or lower.

So the Hawks remain heavy weights. They played a high risk game against the Flames about a week ago and were uncharacteristically loose in their own end leading to a number of Calgary chances off the rush. I would be surprised if that happens again tonight, but here’s hoping…