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Streaking Blackhawks make a stop in Toronto

Mar 5, 2011 - 4:19 PM (Sports Network) - The red-hot Chicago Blackhawks will aim for an eighth consecutive victory when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for tonight's Original Six battle at Air Canada Centre.

The Blackhawks claimed their seventh straight victory Friday night against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. Chicago's last eight-game winning streak was from Nov. 9-25 of last season.

The 'Hawks are currently the fourth seed in the Western Conference, but they are just one point ahead of Calgary and two in front of Phoenix and Los Angeles. Chicago is also seven points in back of Detroit for the Central Division lead.

Bryan Bickell had a goal and an assist to help lift Chicago to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes on Friday. Ryan Johnson, Jonathan Toews, Dave Bolland and Patrick Kane all scored for the Blackhawks and Toews enters tonight riding an eight-game point streak.

Corey Crawford made 18 stops to help Chicago move all alone into fourth place in the West. The Blackhawks led the contest, 2-1, after one period and scored three times in the third stanza.

"We had some good chances in the first two periods and the game was tight," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. "It was one of those dangerous thing where they were hanging around. But we got everyone contributing in the third and we're able to put our foot on the gas."

Tonight's tilt marks the first of four straight on the road for the Blackhawks, who have won three straight as the guest and are 15-9-6 as the visiting club this season.

Chicago has also won five straight against the Maple Leafs and has claimed victory in its last three trips to Toronto. Tonight's test marks the first and only meeting between these Original Six rivals.

The Maple Leafs will take another shot at their first three-game winning streak since January when they hit the ice tonight. Toronto has put together five, two-game winning streaks since a four-game tear from Jan. 6-11, and its. latest streak came with wins against Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The Leafs recorded an overtime win Wednesday against the visiting Penguins and then posted a regulation victory the following evening in Philadelphia. Darryl Boyce tallied the game-winning score with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third period to lift Toronto to the 3-2 decision over the Flyers. It was Toronto's first win in Philadelphia since March 12, 2008.

Nikolai Kulemin and Dion Phaneuf also scored for the Maple Leafs, who have won four of their last six overall and are just four points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"Well it's that time of year. Playing down the stretch, the games are tight, and you saw that again tonight," Phaneuf said about Toronto's ninth straight close contest. "Everything is a one-goal game. Teams are playing for positioning, and playing for their lives. They're big points that are one the line and that's why the games are so tight."

James Reimer made 28 stops in Thursday's victory and the rookie is off to a 12-4-3 start to his NHL career. He is expected to get his eighth straight start between the pipes this evening.

Toronto, which has a 15-11-7 record at Air Canada Centre this season, had lost three of four on home ice prior to Wednesday's win over Pittsburgh.