Entering action on Friday night, it’s looking like it’s going to be a fight to the finish in the Western Conference.
It didn’t seem that way a few months ago. The Blackhawks were 12-15-6 entering play on Dec. 15, but they have been on a 13-6-2 run since. How have they done it? The usual Patrick Kane excellence (10 goals, 19 assists in 21 games) with a rejuvenated Jonathan Toews (7 goals, 16 assists in 21 games) and the emergence of Dominik Kubalik (13 goals, 6 assists in 21 games). Add in solid work by the goaltending tandem — Crawford: 2.