NHL Lines: Chicago vs. Tampa Bay

Chicago takes on Tampa Bay tonight. (AP Images)"]

A matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight kicks off a three-game swing for the Chicago Blackhawks, who won’t have leading goal scorer Patrick Sharp available for the first time this season.

Martin Havlat is second on Chicago with 19 goals and 45 points, while Jonathan Toews is third with 18 and 43, respectively, on an offense that ranks fifth in the NHL with 3.4 goals per game.

The Blackhawks are even more likely to rely on those two after Sharp sustained a lower body injury in Saturday’s game. Sharp, who leads the team with 23 goals and is tied for fifth with 38 points while playing all 54 games, is likely to miss two to three weeks.

Tampa Bay has lost six of eight overall and has alternated wins and losses in the first four contests of its season-high six-game homestand.

The Blackhawks are 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings.

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