Tonight's Blackhawks game at the United Center against the Colorado Avalanche pits two teams trying to stay in playoff contention. The Hawks will try to prevent the Avs from sweeping their series meetings. The Avs have already won the three prior meetings with the Hawks. This meeting is also important for both teams in the playoff race. The Hawks are currently in third place in the Central Divison, and the Avs in second in the Northwest Division. Each win is crucial to both teams as very few points separate fourth place from 14th place in the West for a playoff berth. This will be the final meeting between the two teams in the regular season.
Avoiding a season sweep by the Avs would do much for the Hawks mentally. In their last 10 games, the Avs have gone 4-5-2, dropping seven of their last nine. The Hawks have gone 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. Corey Crawford gets the makes his sixth consecutive start in goal tonight. In his last outing on Sunday against the Islanders he stopped 29 shots and gained his second career shutout. The Hawks can help Marion Hossa celebrate his 32nd birthday with a win. The last time the Avs swept the Hawks was during the 2003-2004 season.
Tonight's game begins at 7:30 CST. It will be televised in the Chicago area on CSN Chicago (HD) and ALT (HD).