CHICAGO (Interstat) — Two teams at the bottom of the NHL standings will meet Friday night when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Vancouver Canucks at United Center. The matchup features clubs with a combined 41 wins this season. Chicago (23-38-0) sits slightly ahead of Vancouver (18-42-0) in the overall league table. Both are coming off losses earlier this week. The Canucks arrive mired in a deep slump, having lost nine of their last 10 games. They are allowing 4.6 goals per game during that stretch, including a 6-1 home defeat to Dallas on Monday. Veteran winger Evander Kane, a player to watch for Vancouver, scored the lone goal in that loss and has been a rare bright spot. He has a goal on five shots in his last two outings. Chicago fell 3-2 in overtime at Winnipeg on Tuesday, snapping a brief two-game win streak that included a 4-0 shutout in Utah. Rookie center Ryan Greene, a player to watch for the Blackhawks, scored a goal against the Jets and has points in two of his last three games. Franchise cornerstone Connor Bedard leads Chicago with 58 points. The season series is split 1-1. Chicago dominated the last meeting, a 5-2 win in Vancouver on Nov. 5, 2025. The Canucks took the first game 3-2 in a shootout in Chicago on Oct. 17. For Vancouver, the game opens a two-game Central Division road trip before returning home. Chicago continues a stretch of four home games out of five before embarking on a difficult road swing later this month. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.