'Wednesday Night Hockey': 5 Storylines

The Nashville Predators have righted the ship after a six-game losing streak in December (0-5-1). They are 4-0-1 in their past five games entering their "Wednesday Night Hockey" showdown with the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS).

The Blackhawks (16-22-7) are playing better after a lengthy slump that has put them in danger of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. They've split two games with the Predators (26-15-3) this season.
Here are 5 storylines to watch:

Healthy Predators finding their game

Many of Nashville's problems during its losing streak can be traced to injuries to forwards Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson, and defenseman P.K. Subban. With all three back the Predators are starting to resemble the team that got off to a fast start and looked like the one that won the Presidents' Trophy in 2017-18 as the NHL's top regular-season team.

Kane having big season for Blackhawks

Patrick Kane's superb play has been overshadowed by his team's struggles, but he is having his best season since leading the NHL in scoring with 106 points in 2015-16. He enters Wednesday with 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) in 44 games, a pace that would make him a 100-point scorer for the second time since entering the NHL in 2007. He's three goals shy of matching his total for last season, and opponents have to account for Kane every time he's on the ice. One reason for his improved offensive numbers: He's scoring on 13.9 percent of his shots, up from 9.5 percent from last season, and his best since 2015-16 (16.0 percent), when he scored 46 goals.

Rinne in top form

Goalie Pekka Rinne has been the backbone of the Predators, covering up for a lot of Nashville's shortcomings while key players were out. Last season's Vezina Trophy winner in 16-10-2 but has a 2.23 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and three shutouts, and he made 18 saves against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 4-0 road victory Monday. Rinne and defenseman Roman Josi were the Predators selected to play in the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game, and Rinne looks every bit as good as he did last season when he was named the NHL's top goalie.

Blackhawks missing Crawford

With starting goalie Corey Crawford out for the foreseeable future because of a concussion, the Blackhawks will need more from Cam Ward and rookie Collin Delia if they hope to get back into the playoff race. Ward has struggled, going 7-7-4 with a 3.80 goals-against average and .889 save percentage. Delia, a 24-year-old who was signed as an undrafted free agent, spent part of last season in the ECHL. He has been excellent in five starts (3-1-1, 2.19 GAA, .947 save percentage) since being called up Dec. 17 and is making the case for more playing time even if Crawford returns this season.

Strome finding home in Chicago

The Blackhawks have gotten an offensive boost from the acquisition of forward Dylan Strome, who came from the Arizona Coyotes in a trade Nov. 25. Strome has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 21 games with Chicago after having six points (three goals, three assists) in 20 games with Arizona. He has prospered from being reunited with junior linemate Alex DeBrincat and is showing the potential that made him the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.