The leading goal scorer in the NHL will present a challenge for the Blackhawks' defense tonight at the United Center.
Marian Gaborik of the New York Rangers, who has a league-best 21 goals, will draw plenty of attention from the Hawks, who are a sparkling 11-3-1 at home.
It seemed only natural to ask another Slovakian Marian his thoughts on Gaborik.
"We have to make sure we watch him," Hawks winger Marian Hossa said. "He's a dynamic player with a quick release. We have to spend as much time in their zone as possible."
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville had his own thoughts on stopping the high-scoring right wing.
"He's real dangerous," Quenneville said of Gaborik. "We saw a lot of him there in Minnesota and we know what he's capable of. He's one of the quicker sticks, he's got a great shot, great release and he's got great speed of the rush. The awareness factor when he's on the ice has got to be out there."
That means a long night for Hawks defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
"Duncs and Seabs will get a lot of that attention," Quenneville said.
The next-closest Rangers in number of goals are Vinny Prospal and Ales Kotalik, each with six. The Rangers are 14-14-1 and have one of the better goaltenders in the NHL in Henrik Lundqvist.
"He's one of those goalies who can win games on his own," Quenneville said. "He takes up a lot of net . Even when he's down it looks like there's not a lot of options out there. We need traffic and second and third opportunities that enhance your chances of scoring on him."
Lundqvist, who is 12-11-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average and .914 save percentage, will face the Hawks' Cristobal Huet. Huet is 13-6-2 with a 2.24 goals-against and .906 save percentage.
One-timers: This is the only regular-season meeting between the Original Six teams. They met twice last season with the Rangers winning 4-2 on Oct. 10 at Madison Square Garden in the season opener and 3-2 in overtime Jan. 16 at the United Center. ... Hossa has 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) in 40 career games against New York. ... Huet is 2-4-1 in a 3.22 goals-against in eight career games against the Rangers. ... The Hawks have lost three consecutive games to the Rangers, having last defeated them 2-1 in overtime Dec. 7, 2005 at the UC. ... The Hawks are 4-0-1 against Eastern Conference teams this season
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