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Predators host slumping Blackhawks

Jan 20, 2007 - 5:38 PM Chicago (17-23-7) at Nashville (33-12-3) 8:00 pm EST

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The Nashville Predators have one of the best home records in the league and have a great chance to improve on it Saturday when they host the slumping Chicago Blackhawks.

The Predators, 17-3-3 at home this season, lead the Western Conference with 69 points, and have won seven of their last eight overall.

Nashville downed the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-0, on Thursday, as David Legwand and Paul Kariya each had a goal and an assist.

Legwand, who has two goals and three assists in his last three games, had a goal and two assists in Nashville's 8-3 triumph over the Blackhawks on January 5.

The Blackhawks, whose eight-game losing streak is its longest this season, are tied with Columbus for 13th place in the Western Conference with 41 points.

Chicago suffered a 3-0 home loss to the Minnesota Wild on Friday in their latest defeat. Backup goaltender Brian Boucher made 23 saves as Nikolai Khabibulin got a rest.

The 34-year old Russian netminder has really been slumping lately, as he is 0-5-2 in his last seven starts with 25 goals allowed.