Chicago Blackhawks facing division foes at a good time

Life is all about timing.

And for the Chicago Blackhawks, the timing could not be better in terms of when they will take on the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators. All three Central Division teams are reeling, and the Hawks will play five games against them in the next 11 days.

Here's a look at what is ailing these squads:

Minnesota:

How bad are things for the Wild? Well, Monday as the team began practice for its game against the Blackhawks on Tuesday, head coach Mike Yeo told his players that since they played almost the entire game against Dallas on Saturday in the defensive zone, they would begin with defensive-zone drills.

"It's just not good enough," Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter Michael Russo reported Yeo as saying. "It was not designed to be fun at practice."

The Wild has been hit hard by injuries, losing Zach Parise for eight games and Justin Fontaine for 11. Both will play vs. the Hawks.

The Wild finished November 1-4-2, a skid that included blowing a 3-0 third-period lead to the Stars. Yeo's squad fell 4-3 in overtime.

"How do we stop (this)?" Yeo told reporters. "You win hockey games. You make plays for 60 minutes that win hockey games. (The Stars) were more determined to play their game than we were. It was more important and they stayed with it, so credit for them. Great job. That's why they're in first place; that's why we're not."

Winnipeg:

The Jets, who finished last in the Central in 2013-14, were one of the surprise teams of last season, making the playoffs after a 99-point campaign.

They stormed out of the gate this year (7-3-1) but imploded in November, going 4-9-1 and allowing a ghastly 53 goals in the process. Overall, only Calgary has given up more goals than Winnipeg.

The Jets, who will be at the United Center on Sunday and on Dec. 11, played 11 of their last 15 on the road.

"It was a grueling schedule for us," Adam Lowry told reporters Monday. "Obviously we didn't … get the results we were looking for, but I think if you look at the last five or six games and the style we've played … for the most part we feel like our game's coming along."

Many pundits believe that, come playoff time, five teams will come out of the Central. As of now, the sixth-place Jets and seventh-place Avalanche are clearly on the outside looking in.

Nashville:

A late-season skid cost the Predators a division title last April and "earned" them a first-round playoff matchup against the Blackhawks. So Nashville, which the Hawks eliminated in six games, figures to be extra motivated for the teams' back-to-back meetings Dec. 8 (in Chicago) and Dec. 10 (in Nashville).

Coach Peter Laviolette's team, however, is mired in a 1-4-1 stretch in which they scored just 6 goals and were shut out three straight times. The first five of those games came on the road and the last one - a 4-1 loss to Buffalo in Nashville on Saturday - closed out a nine-day stretch in which the Predators played six times.

"It was a long trip and I'm not making any excuses, but I think we can play at a higher tempo," Laviolette said.

This is a team with an extraordinary defense, but obviously no team is going to win by averaging a goal a game. The Predators' biggest scorers have been MIA most of the season.

To wit:

• Filip Forsberg, the dynamic 26-goal-scoring rookie of a year ago, has 3 goals total and 1 in the last 18 games.

• James Neal (23 goals last season) leads the team with 9 goals but has just 2 in the last 13 games.

• Craig Smith (also 23 goals last season) has 2 in the last 18 games.

Before facing the Hawks, the Predators will attempt to right the ship against Arizona, Florida, Detroit and Boston.

Scouting report

Blackhawks (13-8-3) vs. Minnesota Wild (11-7-4) at United Center, 7 p.m.

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: Justin Fontaine returned Saturday in a 4-3 loss to Dallas after missing 11 games with a sprained MCL. Fontaine suffered the injury when the Blackhawks' Andrew Desjardins ran into him during the Wild's 5-4 win on Oct. 30. Jonathan Toews scored twice in that Hawks loss. … The Wild also were without Zach Parise (knee) for eight games until he came back Friday in a 3-1 loss to Winnipeg. The Wild went 4-3-1 without Parise, the team's leading scorer last season. … The Wild has won the last three regular-season meetings against the Hawks. … Patrick Kane will be looking to extend his points streak to 20 games, one shy of the Hawks' team record.

Next: Ottawa at Canadian Tire Center, 6:30 p.m. Thursday

- John Dietz