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NHL on NBCSN: Hawks, Preds have very different agendas

Preds vs Hawks

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 07: Matt Halischuk #24 of the Nashville Predators is chased by Marian Hossa #81 and Duncan Keith #2 of the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on April 7, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

NBCSN’s ongoing coverage of the 2013 campaign will continue tonight when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Nashville Predators at the United Center at 8:30 p.m. ET. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game online.

No matter what happens, the Chicago Blackhawks will enter the postseason with the first seed in the Western Conference, but they still have one thing left to fight for before the playoffs start: the Presidents’ Trophy.

“We still want to keep moving forward, whether we’re looking at Pittsburgh or still looking at how we play,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville told CSN Chicago.

Chicago has a four-point cushion on the Pittsburgh Penguins with a game in hand, so you’d think that the Blackhawks already have the Presidents’ Trophy all-but locked up. However, Pittsburgh has won 20 of their last 22 games and has shown no signs of letting up, so a mediocre finish from the Blackhawks could cost them their final regular season goal.

They’ll face a Predators team that has lost seven consecutive games and doesn’t have a ton left to play for as a squad. At the same time, there are young players with Nashville that have something to prove and likely see a tough team like Chicago as an ideal opponent to showcase their skills.

One example of that is 18-year-old forward Filip Forsberg. There was plenty of hype surrounding him when he made his NHL debut on Sunday and he’s going into this game looking for his first NHL point.

“He’s got really good hands and a heavy shot,” Predators coach Barry Trotz recently told The Tennessean. “I love the fact he loves to shoot the puck, and I think he has really good instincts when he has the puck. Just like every young player, he has to learn to play without the puck a little bit.”

We’ll see if Forsberg and the other players competing for jobs next season can give the surging Blackhawks trouble tonight.

Probable goaltenders: CHI - Corey Crawford (17-4-4, 1.92 GAA, .926 SV%) | NSH - Pekka Rinne (14-16-7, 2.35 GAA, .914 SV%)

Top scorers: CHI - Patrick Kane (20-27-47, 42 GP) | NSH - David Legwand (11-12-23, 44 GP) and Shea Weber (8-15-23, 44 GP)

Notable Injuries:
Chicago - Forwards: Patrick Sharp (shoulder - questionable) Goaltenders: Ray Emery (leg)
Nashville - Forwards: Patric Hornqvist (upper body), Brandon Yip (lower body), Paul Gaustad (shoulder), Mike Fisher (hand), Gabriel Bourque (upper body), Colin Wilson (shoulder) Defensemen: Kevin Klein (undisclosed)