Los Angeles @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 30, 2019 ) Chicago 2, Los Angeles 3

The Chicago Blackhawks are not meeting their expectations in the early going, especially on the offensive end, and look to snap their four-game losing streak when they host the similarly struggling Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Chicago earned at least one point in three of its first five games this season before dropping the last four (0-3-1) and scoring just twice in the past three after Saturday’s 4-0 setback at Carolina.

Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton believes his team just needs to stick with it, while captain Jonathan Toews told the Chicago Tribune: “You got to create that feeling of what it’s like to win a game before you go out there and actually make it happen. It’s all we can do to try to turn things around.” The Blackhawks dropped all three matchups between the non-playoff teams last season, but two of them went past regulation, and they hope to get Patrick Kane going after the former Hart Trophy winner was kept off the scoresheet in each of his last three games. The Kings have lost five of their last seven contests after splitting the first four of the season and only could muster a goal from defenseman Ben Hutton in Saturday’s 5-1 setback at Minnesota. “We’re not built well enough yet to get out of what we’re supposed to be doing and roam,” Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan told reporters. “I don’t think that works for any team in the league, quite frankly, especially ours. We have to continue to do it right whether we’re up four or down six, and eventually we’ll get better at it.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), NBCS Chicago

ABOUT THE KINGS (4-7-0): Captain Anze Kopitar was kept off the scoresheet for the third time in 11 games on Saturday, but the Slovenian center leads the team with 11 points (four goals) and is one shy of 900 for his career. Former Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty burst out the gate with three goals and two assists in the season’s first four games but has notched only two points in his last seven contests. Jonathan Quick (2-5-0) surrendered five goals in Saturday’s setback, which could give the starting nod to backup Jack Campbell (2-2-0, .897 save percentage) for the second game of a back-to-back set.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (2-5-2): Kane leads the team with eight points despite his recent struggles and Brandon Saad (three goals, two assists) is the only other player with more than four. Kirby Dach, the third overall pick in last June’s draft, has not disappointed as he has recorded a goal and an assist in his first four NHL games. “We don’t want him to just be a player that’s trying to survive his shifts,” general manager Stan Bowman told reporters. “I don’t get a sense of that. Each game, he’s made some nice plays. If anything, I see him gaining a little more comfort as we go along.”

OVERTIME

1. Blackhawks G Robin Lehner (1-1-2) is likely to make the start against the Kings after Corey Crawford made 27 saves on Saturday.

2. Los Angeles LW Ilya Kovalchuk is second on the club with eight points after notching an assist on Saturday but owns a team-worst minus-9 rating.

3. Chicago is 0-for-16 on the power play over its last four games while Los Angeles has gone 4-for-42 on the season.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Kings 2