Chicago Blackhawks' Kruger could be scratched vs. Canucks
Marcus Kruger, who has taken 6 penalties in the last five games, skated outside the top four lines during Chicago Blackhawks practice Tuesday at MB Ice Arena.
Chris Kunitz, David Kampf and John Hayden were on the fourth line. The other three lines remained the same.
Joel Quenneville wouldn't say for sure Kruger is out against Vancouver on Wednesday.
"No matter who comes out, you know nobody's going to be happy about it," the Hawks' coach said. "He (has given) us some 5-on-5 play that's been good this year, but we need him killing penalties and we need him on the ice. That's part of it.
"And we still haven't spoken to him yet, but we'll see how things go tomorrow."
Kruger has 2 goals and no assists in 12 games.
Making an impression:
Vancouver's Elias Pettersson leads the league among rookies with 7 goals and a 43.8 shooting percentage.
Pettersson, the fifth overall pick in the 2017 draft, scored twice against Minnesota on Monday. The second goal came after he blocked a shot near the blue line and took off the other way to give the Canucks a 4-2 lead.
Vancouver, which went 31-40-11 last season, is 7-6-0 and tied for first in the extremely tight Pacific Division.
"Watching them a little bit last night, they play pretty hard," said Patrick Kane, whose Hawks will play Wednesday at Vancouver. "They have some young guys that are really producing. Pettersson is really taking the league by storm. He's off to a big start for them. …
"It seems like there's some excitement in the city and with the young team I'm sure the fans and the organization are excited about where they're at."
Slap shots:
Jonathan Toews has 1 goal and no assists in the last six games. … Duncan Keith did not take a shot on goal in the last two games. Brent Seabrook, meanwhile, has 12 SOG in the last three games. He had 14 in the first nine contests. …
The Blackhawks agreed to terms with forward Brandon Hagel on a three-year, entry-level contract that runs through 2020-21. Hagel, originally drafted by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, will remain with the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL. He is third in the league with 12 goals and 28 points. …
Patrick Sharp will join NBC Sports Chicago's broadcast team as a game-night studio analyst. He also will continue contributing to NBC's national coverage on NHL Live.