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Sliding Pens host showdown with Blackhawks

Jan 21, 2015 - 3:39 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Blackhawks appeared to have gotten their game on track with a big victory on Tuesday night.

The Pittsburgh Penguins would like to do the same thing on Wednesday evening when they host the Blackhawks aiming to snap a three-game slide.

The Blackhawks had lost three of four going into an encounter with the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday that wrapped a four-game homestand. Chicago got goals from five different skaters in a 6-1 win, with Andrew Shaw posting a pair of tallies.

Shaw had just one goal in his previous 22 games and now has eight this season after netting 20 goals in 2013-14.

Patrick Kane scored his 200th career goal and had two assists, rookie Teuvo Teravainen posted his first career multi-point game with a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Toews snapped an 11-game goal drought with his 14th of the season.

Antti Raanta stopped 35 shots in the win as Chicago sits third in the Central Division, two points ahead of Winnipeg and two back of the St. Louis Blues.

"The approach to this game was much more business-like," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. "We got off to a strong start and that helps, did a lot of good things today."

The Blackhawks will try to keep the momentum going tonight in the opener of a seven-game road trip that takes the team out west following the All-Star break. They'll visit the Los Angeles Kings next Wednesday.

Corey Crawford figures to start tonight for the 'Hawks and is 2-1-0 lifetime against the Penguins with a 1.95 goals against average and .929 save percentage.

Though they sit second in the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins have gone just 4-6-3 over their past 13 games and have lost to a division rival each time over their current three-game slide. The first two of those setbacks came against the New York Islanders and New York Rangers as the Pens now lead the Blueshirts by only one point in the division and are four points back of the front-running Isles.

Pittsburgh failed to get on track last night, falling 3-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime. The Penguins were short-handed twice in the extra period and the Flyers finally cashed in when Claude Giroux snapped a rebound past Thomas Greiss with 1:03 left in the frame.

Chris Kunitz and Beau Bennett scored for the Penguins, while Greiss allowed all three goals on 40 shots in the loss.

"Well we want some momentum heading into the All-Star Break," said Pittsburgh head coach Mike Johnston. "So we've got to regroup, recover and get ready for a tough team in Chicago tomorrow."

Johnston will unlikely have the services of defenseman Kris Letang, who took an illegal hit from the Flyers' Zac Rinaldo in the first period and did not return to the game. Rinaldo was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct.

Marc-Andre Fleury will start this contest for the Penguins and is a solid 5-2-2 lifetime versus the Blackhawks with a 2.60 GAA and .918 save percentage in nine games.

The Pens and Blackhawks split two meetings last season, with each team winning at home. Chicago's victory came outdoors at Soldier Field, but the Penguins have won two straight and are 7-0-1 with two ties in their past 10 at home in this series.

Chicago has not won in regulation in Pittsburgh since Feb. 22, 1997.