Dallas @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 20, 2018 ) Chicago 5, Dallas 2

The Chicago Blackhawks hope to resume their surge toward a playoff spot in the Western Conference after suffering a disappointing result last time out when they host the Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon. Patrick Kane extended his point streak to 20 games on Friday, but the Blackhawks fell 5-3 at home against Colorado and sit four points out of the second wild-card position after winning 10 of their last 14 contests.

“We were really good,” Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters after his team finished with a 44-31 advantage in shots. “I thought it was one of our better efforts of the year, and certainly recently. Sometimes the results don’t go our way. The challenge is to reproduce that level and, if we do, I think we’ll get our fair share of points.” Kane, who netted two tallies and set up another in a 5-2 win over the Stars on Dec. 20, became the seventh player in NHL history to register at least two 20-game point streaks in his career and has recorded 17 goals and 26 assists during his current run. Dallas is in a virtual tie with Colorado for the top wild-card spot in the West after suffering a 3-0 home loss to Carolina on Saturday and has posted just two victories in its last eight contests (2-5-1) as it begins a four-game road trip. The Stars, who are 29th in the league in scoring, added to their offense after Saturday's game by acquiring Mats Zuccarello (11 goals, 37 points) from the New York Rangers for a pair of conditional draft picks.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), WGN (Chicago)

ABOUT THE STARS (30-26-5): Dallas hopes the speedy Zuccarello can spark an offense that has been shut out in three of its last five games, including Saturday's setback in which it went 0-for-3 on the power play. Tyler Seguin tops the team with 26 goals and 57 points but was kept off the scoresheet by the Hurricanes without linemate Alexander Radulov (47 points) in the lineup due to illness. Ben Bishop (upper body) returned to the lineup Saturday for the first time since Feb. 4 and made 28 saves, but backup Anton Khubodin could be in the crease on Sunday.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (26-27-9): Kane is second in the league with 93 points and one tally away from his second career 40-goal campaign while captain Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat also have been major catalysts during the team’s revival. Toews has registered 28 goals and 63 points - seven during his current five-game streak - and DeBrincat has scored five times in his last four contests to push his career-best point total to 62. Veteran Brent Seabrook (abdomen) could miss his fourth straight game, but fellow defenseman Carl Dahlstrom (illness) may return on Sunday.

OVERTIME

1. Stars D Ben Lovejoy could make his team debut after being acquired from New Jersey for D Connor Carrick and a third-round draft pick on Saturday.

2. Chicago C Dylan Strome has notched 37 points in 38 games - six in his last four contests - since being obtained from Arizona.

3. The Blackhawks have gone 5-for-10 on the power play over their last four games while the Stars are 1-for-20 in their last eight contests.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Stars 3