Sharks vs. Blackhawks preview: Chicago on brink of history

The Chicago Blackhawks (13-0-3) will host the San Jose Sharks (8-4-3) at United Center on Friday night.

It will mark the third and final regular season meeting between the two teams.

The Blackhawks were victorious against the Sharks in the two previous meetings. Scoring four-plus goals in both games, Chicago managed regulation victories in both contests.

If the Hawks can record another regulation win or force overtime, the team will break an NHL record for the longest point streak to start a regular season. Having tied the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks with their 16th-consecutive game with a point on Wednesday night, the Blackhawks will own sole possession of the record if they can earn a single point on Friday.

Over the span on the streak, the Blackhawks have scored three goals or more in 12 of the 16 games they have played. They also have recorded the second-most goals per game (3.31) and allowed the fewest goals against per game (1.94), and claim ownership to the third-ranked penalty kill in the league (87.9 percent success rate).

The Sharks will be entering the contest after ending a seven-game winless streak on Tuesday night.

Having started the season a perfect 7-0-0, the team recorded an 0-4-3 record in February before defeating the St. Louis Blues. However, the Blues had spent 15 hours in a Vancouver airport and didn't arrive home until 6:30 a.m. on the day of the game.

Regardless, the Sharks will look to build off their last effort by ending the Blackhawks' extended run.

The game is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on NHLN-US, CSN-CA and CSN-CH.

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• All the scores from Thursday

• The end of an era in Buffalo

• How reliable is NHL.com's shot tracker?

• Solving the Sharks' goal-scoring woes