Philadelphia @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2018 ) Chicago 0, Philadelphia 4

The Chicago Blackhawks continue to cobble together points in their surge toward an unlikely postseason berth while the Philadelphia Flyers appear to have run out of steam in their quest for the playoffs. Fueled by a 5-0-1 mark in their last six contests, the Blackhawks bid to inch closer to the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference on Thursday when they host the fading Flyers.

Chicago effectively stole a point after defenseman Erik Gustafsson scored late in the third period of Monday's 3-2 overtime setback versus Vancouver, but the lost opportunity for the other didn't sit well with captain Jonathan Toews. "We need to win every game. We needed to win (Monday) and we need to win the next one," said the 30-year-old Toews, who scored a power-play goal to snap the team's 0-for-19 drought with the man advantage. While the Blackhawks reside just four points behind eighth-place Arizona in the West, Philadelphia sits six back of Columbus in the East after falling for the third time in four outings with Tuesday's 3-1 setback to Montreal. "Mathematically, we're not out of it, so there's still a chance. That's what the mindset has to be in this locker room," rookie goaltender Carter Hart said.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, WGN (Chicago)

ABOUT THE FLYERS (35-30-8): Philadelphia has been plagued by slow starts this season, getting outscored 75-56 in the first period while falling behind after 20 minutes for the 29th time in 73 games. "I feel we didn't have a lot of urgency and were working through the motions," said captain Claude Giroux, who set up Sean Couturier's team-leading 30th goal in the third period on Tuesday to boost his club-best totals in assists (58) and points (78). Couturier, who has reached the 30-goal plateau in back-to-back seasons, scored two goals and set up another in the Flyers' 4-0 win over the Blackhawks on Nov. 10 and has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his last nine games overall.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (32-30-10): Patrick Kane's 59th assist on Toews' power-play goal in the first period on Monday boosted his point total to an even 100, allowing the former Hart Trophy recipient to become third player in franchise history with multiple 100-point seasons (Denis Savard, Jeremy Roenick). Kane also set up Gustafsson's tally with 3:13 remaining in the third period on Monday to tie his career high in assists and move within five of his personal best point total -- both set in 2015-16. Fellow forward Brendan Perlini collected five goals and two assists during a three-game stretch that earned him NHL Second Star of the Week honors before being held off the scoresheet versus the Canucks.

OVERTIME

1. Philadelphia LW James van Riemsdyk has five goals and an assist during his four-game point streak.

2. Blackhawks G Corey Crawford fell to 2-5-0 in seven career encounters against the Flyers after yielding three goals on 24 shots on Nov. 10.

3. Philadelphia C Nolan Patrick has just one goal in his last 14 games, although he scored -- albeit into an empty net -- in the first meeting with Chicago.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 3, Flyers 2