April 08--The Chicago Blackhawks face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night (7:30 p.m. CSN, NBCSN, WGN-AM 720) in their regular-season home finale at the United Center, where they are 24-11-5.
The Hawks are 3-1-0 this season against Minnesota, which would clinch a playoff berth with a victory. The Blackhawks (48-25-6; 102 points) are third in the Central Division are looking to close in on the Blues (104) and the Predators (105), both of whom play tonight. Tha Hawks lost 2-1 to the Blues on Sunday.
Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk will make his 39th consecutive start, and will extend the franchise record to 38 in a row since he was acquired by the Wild (44-27-8; 96 points) from the Coyotes on Jan. 14. He is 26-8-2 for the Wild with a 1.75 goals against average and has five shutouts. The Wild are coming off a 2-0 loss to the Jets on Monday. Dubnyk has allowed four goals on 150 shots in the second game of back-to-backs the last four times he's done it and is 14-1-1 on the road with a 1.44 GAA and a .952 save percentage. He ranks second in the NHL in that category with an overall .930.
"From what I heard he's played great," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "To begin with, they're a solid defensive team; they don't give up much. He's a big body. For the most part, if he sees it, he's gonna stop it."
Corey Crawford (32-18-5) will start for the Blackhawks. He has a 2.28 GAA and is sixth in the league with a .924 save percentage.
First-timer
Kyle Baun is scheduled to make his NHL debut Tuesday for the Blackhawks when they face the Wild at the United Center. The 22-year-old, 6-foot-2, 204-pound right winger signed as a free agent March 26. He had 14 goals and 15 assists last season as a junior at Colgate.
"It's fun to see a young guy like that get a chance and be excited to play," Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "It's good preparation for whatever might be to come."
The Quote I
"The next time we're gonna be here it will be playoff hockey, something that everyone in the city gets excited about, something we'll be motivated and excited for as well." -- Toews on the last regular-season game at the United Center.
The Quote II
"He's got a lot of enthusiasm to his game. We like the way he moves out there. Just play to your strengths and we'll educate you as you go along. One thing he does bring, some quickness. I'm sure he can't wait to get out there tonight." -- Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville on rookie Kyle Baun making his debut
Roster report
The Blackhawks' Brad Richards will miss the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury but "he'll be back in the playoffs," according to Quenneville. Daniel Carcillo and Kimmo Timonen also will be out with upper-body injuries. Andrew Desjardins and Michael Paliotta are healthy scratches.
Trending
Marian Hossa has a five-game point streak, which includes a goal and five assists. Jonathan Toews leads the Hawks with 28 goals and 38 assists.
Up next
At Blues, 7 p.m. Thursday at Scottrade Center
-- Paul Skrbina
