Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks vs. Blues

  

 

St. Louis Blues (6-6-3) at Chicago Blackhawks (6-8-4)

7:00pm Central
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

 

PROJECTED STARTERS

ChicagoCorey Crawford (3-6-0 W/L, SV%: 0.901 GAA: 3.07)
St. LouisChad Johnson (2-3-0 W/LSV%: 0.927 GAA: 2.08)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (12.5%, 30th)
St. Louis (27.6, 5th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (74.1%, 27th)
St. Louis (82.4%, T-10th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (33.2, 7th, 33.4, 25th)
St. Louis (30.3, 22nd, 31.8, T-17th)

Shooting %
Chicago (8.5%, 27th)
St. Louis (11.4%, 3rd)

Faceoff %
Chicago (50.1%, T-16th)
St. Louis (51.7%, T-7th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
St. Louis 6’2” 204lbs

 

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Nick SchmaltzJonathan ToewsPatrick Kane
Alex DeBrincatDavid KampfDominik Kahun
Brandon SaadArtem AnisimovJohn Hayden
Chris KunitzLuke JohnsonAndreas Martinsen
Duncan KeithBrent Seabrook
Erik GustafssonHenri Jokiharju
Brandon ManningGustav Forsling

St. Louis

Jaden SchwartzRyan O’ReillyVladimir Tarasenko
Robby FabbriTyler BozakAlex Steen
Zachary SanfordRobert ThomasDavid Perron
Pat MaroonIvan BarbashevOskar Sundqvist
Carl GunnarssonAlex Pietrangelo
Vince DunnJordan Schmaltz
Joel EdmundsonJay Bouwmeester

Analysis

The fourth meeting between the Hawks and Blues, with Chicago leading the series 2-1-0, showcases two struggling teams. The Hawks look to end an eight-game losing streak, meanwhile, the Blues enter having lost Sunday vs. the Wild 3-2.

Looking at the positives, Henri Jokiharju (9 points) and Dominik Kahun (8 points) both stand in the top 10 in rookie scoring. Jokiharju also comes in second among rookies with 21:41 of ice time per game; however, he has recently been taken off the top unit.

Gustav Forsling, expected to make his season debut tonight, returns from a wrist injury sustained in the preseason. The 22-year old defenseman adds another piece to the dissatisfactory defensive puzzle, after spending five games in Rockford on a rehab stint, tallying 2 assists.

Jeremy Colliton started the morning skate today working on the power play—which is currently 30th in the league at 12.5%—as it has become something of a head scratcher for a few different coaches.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com. 

 

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