(SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Blackhawks have struggled with inconsistency at the start of the new year but they hope to regain some momentum in Sundays home clash against the sliding Minnesota Wild. Chicago is 2-3-0 in January, alternating losses and wins since the start of the month. The rough patch began with a loss in the Winter Classic at Washingtons Nationals Park on New Years Day, and, after Chicago managed to win two out of three, it continued with Fridays 5-2 setback in Edmonton. Of the Blackhawks two wins in January, however, the most recent one came against tonights opponent. Chicago recorded a 4-2 win Thursday in Minnesota despite being outshot by a wide margin. Corey Crawford stole two points for the Blackhawks in St. Paul, making 42 saves to anchor the win. Minnesota outshot Chicago 37-10 after the first period and 44-20 for the game. Chicago received a pair of goals from Bryan Bickell in the third period to pull away. Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane also scored in the win. It was the Blackhawks third straight win over the Wild, as they improved to 2-0 in the five-game season series between the Central Division rivals. Chicago has won two straight and five of the past seven encounters in the Windy City. Chicago was unable to win the other tilt on its recent two-game road trip, as it fell Friday night to the Oilers. The Blackhawks entered the game with 29 more points than lowly Edmonton, but Derek Roy finished with a goal and two assists to help the hosts pull off the surprising 5-2 victory at Rexall Place. The Blackhawks had won the three previous meetings in Edmonton by a 16-3 margin, including a 7-1 rout at Rexall on Nov. 22. Brandon Saad scored both goals for Chicago, while Antti Raanta stopped 17 shots in the loss. We had enough chances tonight. We didnt give up a ton, said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville. Chicago, which is four points behind Nashville for first place in the Central, begins a four-game homestand tonight. The Hawks are 14-5-1 at United Center this season and wont play the second tilt of the residency until Friday against Winnipeg. The Wild are mired in a four-game losing streak and have posted just two wins over their last 12 games (2-6-4). The rough stretch has Minnesota seven points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference as it kicks off a three-game road trip with Sundays clash in Chicago. Minnesota lost a 3-1 decision Saturday against the visiting Nashville Predators. The Wild fired 37 shots on net, but Pekka Rinne made the difference for the Preds with 36 saves. Charlie Coyle potted the lone goal for the Wild, while Niklas Backstrom made 24 stops in the loss. When youre losing games the way we are, everything is an issue, said embattled Minnesota head coach Mike Yeo. Its been something different every game. Were just spinning our tires. Minnesotas Zach Parise returned after a two-game absence to deal with the death of his father, former NHLer J.P. Parise, who died Wednesday at the age of 73 from cancer. Another loss tonight would give Minnesota its second five-game skid of the season. The Wild set a season-high losing streak with a 0-2-3 drought from Dec. 16-27. The Wild, who will play seven of their next nine away from home, are 8-11-0 as the road club this season. Crawford will start for Chicago and owns a 6-3-2 record and 2.35 goals against average in 12 career games against the Wild. Backstrom is 6-11-1 with a 2.90 GAA in 19 career games against Chicago, while backup John Curry has never faced the Blackhawks. Luis Valbuena Jersey . Best has been bothered by concussion problems and hasnt played since Oct. 16, when the Lions lost to San Francisco. After starting 5-0, Detroit has lost four of six, beginning with that game against the 49ers. Zack Cozart Jersey . The 26-year-old Sobotka injured his left leg playing for the St. Louis Blues in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. The Blues said he would not recover from the injury in time for the Olympic tournament. http://www.angelsteamshop.com/Angels-Hus...et-Kids-Jersey/. The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. Reggie Jackson Jersey .A. remained bitter for Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers on the long flight back home to New York. CJ Wilson Jersey . -- Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will be out three to six weeks with a stress fracture of the third finger of his right hand. EDMONTON -- The Los Angeles Kings are looking very much like a team that has hit its stride heading down the stretch. Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Alec Martinez and Trevor Lewis also scored for the Kings (37-22-6), who are now on their longest win streak since taking nine in a row in 2010. "It feels good to feel like you are contributing on an individual level, but the most important thing is that we are winning games right now," Martinez said. "This is the crunch time of the year and we have to be playing playoff hockey. Its been good to be getting these two points consistently." Kings forward Jarret Stoll said the wins dont always have to be pretty. "Tonight wasnt our best game by any means, not even close, but we found a way and just stuck with it," he said. "We didnt really have our legs at some points, but you have to find ways to win. Dirty ways, ugly ways, whatever. Thats the biggest thing right now. We are getting timely saves from our goaltenders like we usually get and we are finding goals." Taylor Hall and Sam Gagner responded for the Oilers (22-35-8), who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins said that the game wasnt as one-sided as it may have seemed and his team was somewhat the victim of bad luck with two goals going in off of odd deflections. "I thought our guys were in the battle, they were sticking together, they were playing hard," he said. "There was no standing around watching them play. We made our mistakes and then they had two goals like that. The first one is a heart-breaker, its not a good way to start, it goes off a guys foot. That gets you down against a team I consider one of the best in the league." Los Angeles was all over Edmonton, outshooting the Oilers 50-27. Gagner tried to downplay the stat. "If you look at the shot differential you draw conclusions from that, but I didnt think it was as one sided as the shots suggested," Gagner said. "I thought it was one of those games where we battled against that team and we held our own physically. Were obviously not happy with the result, but we have to move forward." Kings goalie Jonathan Quick said he felt for his former teammate Ben Scrivens in the Edmonton net, but said his 46-save performance only shows the kind of goalie the Oilers acquired when they traded for him in mid-January. "He has done it all year, he did it with us too," he said "I think he is just what this team needed here in Edmonton. He consistently gives you a solid effort and a chance to win evvery night.dddddddddddd We put 50 shots on him and they still had a chance at the end there. "For a few years now I think it is an area the Oilers needed improvement, not to knock the goalies they had before. The team defence could be better as well. But (Scrivens) has really stepped in since he came here and given them a chance to win every night." The Kings got off to a quick start, scoring a gift goal on the games first shot 1:36 into the contest as a Carter shot that was going wide hit the skate of defender Philip Larsen and got past a surprised Scrivens in the Oilers net. Edmonton tied the game seven-and-a-half minutes into the opening period as David Perron made a nifty no-look backhand pass to Hall, who made a move before sending a backhand shot through Quicks legs. It was Halls 22nd goal of the season and 60th point. Los Angeles outshot Edmonton 12-5 in the first period. Scrivens continued to be tested, making a huge kick save on a Marian Gaborik blast eight minutes into the second period -- the Kings 20th shot of the game. Los Angeles took the lead less than a minute later as a Martinez point shot seemed to hit something in front on its way into the Edmonton net. Carter got another odd goal midway through the second period as Scrivens blocked an Anze Kopitar shot, but the rebound caromed off of the back of Carters leg and in. It was Carters 24th goal of the season. The Kings made it 4-1 with four minutes left in the second as Carter fed a pass to a hard-charging Lewis, who fluttered a shot that Scrivens could only wave his glove at. It was just Lewis third goal in 56 games this season. The shots favoured the Kings 33-19 after 40 minutes. It was Edmontons turn to get a lucky bounce early in the third with the teams playing four players a side. Gagner tried to feed Ryan Smyth at the side of the net, but it hit defender Drew Doughty in front and went into the Kings net to make it 4-2. It was Gagners first goal in 16 games. The Kings conclude a three-game road trip in Calgary on Monday. Edmonton embarks on a four-game trip, starting in Minnesota on Tuesday. Notes: It was the third of four games this season between the Oilers and Kings. The Kings won the two previous encounters, both played in Los Angeles. The Kings held a 13-1-4 in their past 18 games against Edmonton. ... The Oilers have had their troubles against Pacific Division opponents, coming in with only four wins against them this season, two of those wins coming against Calgary. ... Los Angeles has been a very strong defensive team all season, allowing a league-low 2.05 goals per game. ... Remaining out for the Oilers was defenceman Anton Belov (partially torn oblique). The Kings had no injuries to report. 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