The Chicago Blackhawks will shoot for their first three-game winning streak of the season when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
The Blackhawks (21-46-5, 47 points) are coming off a 3-1 win against the visiting Calgary Flames on Tuesday, which followed a 5-4 overtime road victory against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
Chicago has won two in a row just two other times this season, on Dec. 7-9 against the Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues, and March 10-12 against the Arizona Coyotes and Anaheim.
The first time they won two in a row, the Blackhawks followed with a 4-2 loss against the Washington Capitals. The second time they fell 5-0 to the Los Angeles Kings.
Chicago’s chances of getting a third straight win could be boosted by the fact that Ottawa will be completing a back-to-back set on Thursday.
The Senators (31-36-4, 66 points) have won three in a row, allowing them to narrowly escape the basement in the Atlantic Division.
Ottawa scored five goals in the first period against the host Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night en route to a 6-2 victory.
“We were ready to go,” Ottawa interim coach Jacques Martin said. “We got pucks and people at the net and we took advantage of our opportunities.”
The Blackhawks beat the visiting Senators 3-2 in the teams’ only prior meeting this season on Feb. 17, Chicago’s only win in a span of 16 games (1-12-3).
Another positive that emerged for the Blackhawks during their win against Calgary on Tuesday was Jason Dickinson scoring two goals to give him 20 on the season.
“I don’t think anybody should ever be looking at 20 goals and not being very proud of themselves,” Dickinson said. “It’s a hell of an achievement. I’ve never cracked 10 before in this league.”
Chicago’s Landon Slaggert notched his first two NHL points in his sixth game with assists on both of Dickinson’s goals.
“He’s a smart player to play with,” Dickinson said of Slaggert. “He fits in with our line really well. He plays hard (and) he puts pucks up the walls for us. (It’s) nothing fancy, but that’s what our line wants.”
Chicago likely won’t have forward Colin Blackwell back to face the Senators as he continues to deal with a lingering upper-body injury. He skated by himself on Tuesday morning and has not been cleared for contact. He missed the past three games.
Ottawa forward Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists in the Wednesday win, giving him his first four-point game in the NHL.
He was also a plus-4, making him the first U.S.-born player in Senators history to record at least four points and plus-4 rating in a game.
Anton Forsberg should start in goal for Ottawa on Thursday after Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves against the Sabres.
Forsberg has made one start against the Blackhawks in his NHL career, taking a 6-3 loss on March 12, 2022.
The Senators might also be down a key player as defenseman Thomas Chabot left early in the third period against the Sabres and did not return.
“We’ll have an evaluation (of Chabot on Thursday) and see how he is,” Martin said.
–Field Level Media
