After having their point streak ended against the Carolina Hurricanes last Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks took out their frustration on the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets during the two's match up on Saturday, scoring three goals in the final period to cruise to a 5-2 victory. The victory extended the Blackhawks lead in the NHL's Central division to three points over the Nashville Predators, who Chicago will take on Monday night for the first time this season.
The Predators have had an up and down season, starting off the year by winning their first three games, which they followed up by losing their next four. But they come into Monday night's game vs. the Blackhawks having cleaned up that losing streak by immediately winning three of their last four games, including a 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks this past Saturday night.
Although it might seem premature to talk about division battles this early in the season, the fact of the matter is that any team that wants to take home a division crown needs to defeat divisional foes at any point in the year, and that continues tonight for the Blackhawks.
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