Chicago's Duncan Keith Notches 300th Career NHL Assist

With a pair of helpers in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks upped his career assist total to 300, a mark that places him 11th among active NHL blueliners. In the process, Keith notched his 50th assist of the season.

With 14 games remaining on the Blackhawks' regular season calendar, Keith is now five assists shy of his career-high, set in 2009-10. That's the season in which Keith—who Chicago selected 54th overall in the 2002 NHL entry draft—earned the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.

It's an award that the smooth-skating Keith—who represented Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics—now has a chance to earn for the second time in his NHL career, thanks to his outstanding all-around play anchoring the Chicago blue line this season.

Through 67 contests this season, Keith—who has 674 regular season games with the Blackhawks to his credit overall—is second among NHL blueliners in scoring with 53 points. Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators, who earned the 2011-12 Norris Trophy, tops the league leaderboard in that category with 61 points.