National Hockey League
Preview
Chicago at Ottawa
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 28, 2024
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

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

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Day Night Div
Chicago 21-46-4-1 W2 15-18-3-1 6-28-1-0 6-6-1-0 15-40-3-1 5-14-2-1
Ottawa 31-36-4-0 W3 19-16-2-0 12-20-2-0 5-4-1-0 26-32-3-0 12-7-2-0
Last Meeting
Chicago Ottawa
Date Away Home Shots Saves PP Shots Saves PP
2/17/24 OTT 2 CHI 3 22 40 0-1 42 19 1-2
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Total Points Player  
Chicago C. Bedard 2
Ottawa T. Stutzle 2
Goals Player  
Chicago C. Bedard 1
Ottawa J. Chychrun 1
Assists Player  
Chicago P. Kurashev 2
Ottawa C. Giroux 1
Saves Player  
Chicago P. Mrazek 40
Ottawa J. Korpisalo 19
Season
Total Points Player  
Chicago C. Bedard 61
Ottawa T. Stutzle 73
Goals Player  
Chicago C. Bedard 22
Ottawa B. Tkachuk 34
Assists Player  
Chicago C. Bedard 39
Ottawa T. Stutzle 52
Saves Player  
Chicago P. Mrazek 1442
Ottawa J. Korpisalo 1238
Quickchart Matchup
Chicago Off vs  Ottawa Def
2.21 GF
3.54 GA
27.1 Shots
30.1 Shots
35 PP
56 PK
Ottawa Off vs  Chicago Def
3.21 GF
3.56 GA
32.2 Shots
32.4 Shots
43 PP
47 PK