The Chicago Blackhawks take on the Dallas Stars live on Thursday night in NHL Western conference action at 8:30 PM ET.
The Chicago Blackhawks have made the most of the lockout-shortened schedule so far this season, opening the year with three straight victories. The team has looked like the best in the NHL through the first week, scoring nearly five goals per game.
Marian Hossa is leading the team in points with five, while Patrick Kane is tops in assists with three. The team is coming off of a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday and will be looking to open with four straight wins for the first time since 1972.
"There are a lot of positive things that you could look at our game right now and say we're doing things well in certain areas," captain Jonathan Toews said.
The Blackhawks have been getting scoring from all around the roster, with Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Viktor Stalberg scoring against the Blues after opening the season with wins over the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes.
Eight different players have scored goals for the Blackhawks, who have a tough schedule in the early part of the season, playing eight of nine games on the road.
"I like the focus of our team right off the bat, the contributions we're getting from a lot of guys," coach Joel Quenneville said. "It's a positive start, we're happy, but let's keep trying to get better."
One big reason for optimism in Chicago has been the play of Kane, who is coming off of a disappointing 2012 season in which he scored just 23 goals. The 2008 Calder Trophy award winner has recorded at least one point in each game so far, scoring two goals with three assists.
Dallas has started the season strong as well, winning two of their first three games, including a 4-3 opening night victory against the Coyotes. After losing 1-0 against Minnesota, the team rebounded on Tuesday to win 2-1 against Detroit.
Michael Ryder added two goals, while goalie Kari Lehtonen was sharp until the very end, allowing one goal with less than five seconds to go.
"As a team here, we're doing a lot of good things, and we're getting better as every day goes by," said Ryder, who got his first goals after leading the Stars with 35 a year ago.
The Stars have gotten off to an excellent start on the power play this season, killing 10 of 12 penalties through three games, while Chicago has only converted on three of 13 chances.
"You want to start well," Lehtonen said. "I think we just need to keep going. Everybody believes in themselves a little bit more after coming here and getting a win."
Last season Lehtonen played two games against Chicago and has gone 4-1-0 with a 1.97 GAA in five starts versus Chicago in his Dallas career. Last season Dallas went 42-35-5, earning 89 points to finish 10th in the Western conference and out of the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
The Stars will next play the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, while the Blackhawks will visit the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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