Luke Richardson rolled out this lineup against the Blues:

#Blackhawks lineup vs. Blues:
Reichel-Bedard-Kurashev
T. Johnson-Guttman-Raddysh
Foligno-Dickinson-Anderson
Katchouk-Donato-R. Johnson

Vlasic-Jones
Korchinski-Murphy
Kaiser-Phillips

Söderblom
Mrazek

Extras: Entwistle, Perry, Zaitsev
IR: Athanasiou, Hall, Tinordi

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 26, 2023

First period

The Blues drew first blood in this game as Jake Neighbors capitalized on a broken play and beat Soderblom for the first goal of the game. The Blues were not done, as a developing three-on-two turned into a goal for Kevin Hayes. The former Blackhawks draft pick beat Soderblom high on the stick side to give the Blues a two-goal lead.

The Hawks answered later in the period with a goal from Ryan Donato. Issac Phillips wired a shot up high that was deflected by Ryan Donato for the goal.

BOOM pic.twitter.com/PBgI3MYcI8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 26, 2023

The Blues answered with a power-play goal from Pavel Buchnevich. Buchnevich put home the perfect cross-ice from Robert Thomas. The first period ended with the Hawk down 3-1.

Second period

In the second period, the Hawks brought more energy to start the period. They had some good chances but failed to capitalize early. In the second period, both the Hawks and Blue traded chances but the score remained 3-1 after two periods.

Third period

In the third period, the Hawk came out buzzing to desperately try to get back in the game. With less than 10 minutes to go in the period, Jake Neighbors put a shot past Soderblom to cement the victory for the Blues. Soderblom’s overall numbers do not look good in this one but he made several great saves to keep this game close.

The hardworking Boris Katchouck got rewarded with a breakaway chance and beat Jordan Binngton with a nice move.  The final score was 4-2 in favor of the Blues.

Analysis

A recurring theme of the Blackhawks season is that they get down early and do not shoot the puck. The theme continued as the Hawks went down 2-0 early in the first period before the Cole Guttman line started generating some energy for the Hawks.

The Hawks were able to get back into the game in the first period with a solid power-play performance that ended with no goals but it gave the team momentum which cashed in with the Donato goal. Donato was set up by a shot from the point by Phillips. Phillips has been a pleasant surprise since his recall from Rockford. He played solid bottom-pairing minutes and contributed offensively. As Darren Pang pointed out on the broadcast, Phillips is getting more confident with each game and his cap control has been improving as well.

After getting back into the game, the Hawks surrendered another goal on a cross-ice pass. The stick placement of the Hawks defensemen has led to some easy goals for opponents this season. The Hawks are not putting their stick down in obvious passing lanes on defense. This has to be a focal point, especially with their young defensemen.

The Hawks game has to be a physical grinding style of play. When they have enjoyed offensive zone time, it was lead by the third and fourth line grinding on the Blues defense. Reese Johnson and Boris Katchouk have been consistently playing this style of hockey this season. Katchouk has been very noticeable after being a healthy scratch for 6 of 10 games. He got a late goal to make the score more palatable but it did not matter.

Soderblom played well in net despite the great chances given up by the young defense.

The Blackhawks need to get off to better starts in games to have a chance. The Blackhawks’ next game is Tuesday, November 28 against the Seattle Kraken.

The post The Blackhawks slow start costs them against the St. Louis Blues appeared first on The Rink.

The loudest cheer for lineup introductions happened when former Chicago forward Brandon Saad was mentioned as a starting winger for the visiting St. Louis Blues. Chicago fans were barely vocal as the five starters were mentioned for the home team, as Coach Derek King ran his fourth line out for the start of the contest.

At puck drop, Chicago found themselves down 1–0 just short of a minute when forward Pavel Buchnevich scored his sixth goal of the season. The play started with an excellent decision by Blues defenseman stepped up to take time away from Patrick Kane stepping over the blueline along his wing. The pass was intercepted and forced a two-on-one the other way for the Blues. Seth Jones gave a half-hearted effort to take the pass away and did not get into the scoring lane, looking like a forward playing defense, and Buchnevich buried the pass from forward Jordan Kyrou.

Chicago would appear to tie the game after a terrible miscue by Blues’ goaltender Jordan Binnington handed the puck over to Jonathan Toews who buried the puck into a wide-open net. St. Louis challenged the play and it was determined that Kane kicked the puck to his stick while crossing the blue line and drew himself offside. The challenge put Toews back to the goose egg in the goal category this season.

In a solid period in which Chicago did beat Binnington and pinged one off the crossbar by Borgstrom, St. Louis led 2–0 when Ivan Barbashev beat Chicago netminder Kevin Lankinen on the power play.

St. Louis outshot Chicago 16–10 in the first period but the visiting Blues would only muster nine more shots over the next 43 minutes of hockey.

Chicago came out in the second period with a much better approach to their zone exits and puck possession. Forward Jujhar Khaira was in the right place at the doorstep to tip home a puck that could not be challenged this time. The goal, the second of the season for Khaira, was assisted by Mike Hardman and Reese Johnson at the 0:34 mark of the period.

go to the net where good things happen they say pic.twitter.com/mp9V8DQORD

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 26, 2021

Over the next 20 minutes of action, the Blues played a quiet game, not pushing much action. Chicago did an excellent job of supporting teammates in their own zone and did a much better job protecting the puck in their own zone. Both teams looked to make safe, easy plays and not many “high danger” chances were accrued.

Chicago was awarded for their structured play at the 14:56 mark of the third period when Hagel tipped home a low shot from Jones at the point. Hagel’s redirect found Binnington out of position and the puck tickled the twine, giving the Blackhawk faithful still in attendance something to jump to their feet. The goal was Hagel’s seventh of the season.

The finish of the third period had the crowd on edge for the final four minutes of regulation. The crowd felt a little “playoff” like for the first time in a long time. The Blackhawks continued to put pressure on the Blues, something that has seemed to click under King. The Blackhawks of the early part of the season never had this kind of pressure and push, instead having the “how are we going to lose this game look.”

In overtime, the Blues controlled much of the early action as they were able to make several changes while controlling the puck but could not find the back of the net. As a result, Kane took a puck from his own blue line to the Blues zone and found himself on a two-on-one with Alex DeBrincat, sending a nice saucer pass and beat Binnington, giving Chicago the 3–2 win on Black Friday.

Lankinen stopped 23 shots in the victory.

“Kane. DeBrincat. Kane. DeBrincat. SCORE!!!”

Alex DeBrincat sent the Blackhawks home with an OT win pic.twitter.com/2JNqpMv8Ze

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 26, 2021

ANALYSIS

A cool, calm, collective Blackhawks team tied the game late and finished the rivals off in overtime. Having Kane and DeBrincat on an odd-man advantage in overtime is a blessing. Those two really are the engine of this team.

Hagel is a fan favorite and he continues to work in the tough areas. Dominik Kubalik had an opportunity in front but was denied. These two getting to the front of the net and making plays is a must, especially if Kubalik is going to get going this season offensively.

Lankinen settled after giving up a goal within the first minute of action, he was hung out to dry a little by Jones but that will happen with a forward playing defense and did an excellent job when his team in front of him turned in a great defensive performance over the final 43 minutes of action.

Jake McCabe fought Brayden Schenn right before the Blackhawks’ first goal of the game. Neither has anything to do with the other. Fans thinking that fired up the Blackhawks were not paying attention. It was good not to see DeBrincat or Kirby Dach dropping the gloves though for obvious reasons.

This team is playing hard and light-years better defensively under King, most noticeably the forwards are giving a much better effort in their own zone. This is such a relief to the defenseman.

The post Recap from section 319: Blackhawks beat the Blues 3–2 in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

Marc-Andre Fleury started in net tonight looking to get on track this young season after starting -0–4–0 with an .839 save percentage.

First period

Chicago started the contest with a step slow but Fleury played excellent in net. Fleury would stop all 14 shots he faced in the opening frame to keep his team in the contest. Chicago would only muster four shots in the first period, not putting too much pressure on Blues’ goaltender Jordan Binnington.

Chicago would not find the back of the net in the two first period power plays and would kill off the Blues’ only man advantage after forward Adam Gaudette interfered with Blues forward Brayden Schenn.

Second period

The middle frame was about as even as a period as one would want from Chicago, especially in a 0–0 game and having not won a game yet this season. Chicago would pepper Binnington with 12 shots on net but could not find an answer to the goaltender’s puzzle.

Chicago managed a few sustained pressure play in the offensive zone, a much different scenario than the first period of play tonight.

Third period

At the 7:25 mark in the period, Blues defenseman Torey Krug beat Fleury for his first goal of the season. The goal, assisted by forwards Vladamir Tarasenko and David Perron, came on the power play after forward Alex DeBrincat was called tripping on Schenn.

The pressure Chicago put on the Blues after they fell behind 1–0 was almost non-existent. The lack of urgency the Blackhawks bring on a nightly basis is extremely alarming, especially after giving up a goal. Is this lineup taking the laid-back mantra of Head Coach Jeremy Colliton?

Chicago would outshoot the home team 9–8 in the period but the Blues would win the game total 37–25.

Binnington’s shutout was his first this season and first against the Blackhawks.

ANALYSIS

The good

 Fleury finally looked like the reigning Vezina Trophy winner of last season, stopping the first 30 shots he faced tonight.

Chicago looked better structurally in the defensive zone, even with Erik Gustaffson in the lineup. Overall, the Blackhawks were a much tighter team and did a nice job in the neutral ice.

The bad

Although it would not happen until the third period, Chicago fell behind again tonight and had to chase the lead.

After being shut out tonight, Chicago has no firepower outside of DeBrincat and Dach in the lineup when Kane is not on the ice. This lineup is not built to roll four lines and be competitive. Former General Manager Stan Bowman created a roster with no secondary scoring and it continues to be an issue.

Chicago will be back on home ice on Monday, November 1 when the Ottawa Senators come to town for a 7:00 p.m. CDT puck drop.

The post Chicago still winless after St. Louis 1-0 victory appeared first on The Rink.

The game was an opportunity for fans to see offseason acquisitions goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, defensemen Seth Jones and Jake McCabe and forward Tyler Johnson make their debut wearing a Hawks sweater. In addition, the Blackhawks’ two leading scorers from last season, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, both named alternate captains for the 2021–22 season earlier this week, made their first preseason appearances. After signing his entry-level deal just two months after he was selected 30th overall in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft by the Blackhawks, defensemen Nolan Allan received his first taste of NHL action against the arch-rival Blues.

For the Blues, Friday was already their fourth preseason game following a 5–2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday night.

First period

The Blues controlled the play for most of the first period, as they spent the majority of time in the Blackhawks’ zone, capped by a two-man advantage for nearly a minute, which the Hawks killed off. While shorthanded, Blackhawks fans had a chance to see two of their newest stars handle a sticky situation, as a Blues shot squirted through Fleury’s pads only to be cleared out by Jones.

The Blues took a 1–0 lead at the 10:54 mark after Kane turned it over along the half boards to the Blues’ Tanner Kaspick, who skated the puck into the slot and dropped it to Nathan Todd, who snapped a quick wrister past the blocker of Fleury.

The Blackhawks found their legs over the final seven minutes, as they generated multiple scoring chances, including a few from Ryan Carpenter, who was their best forward of the period. After one, the Blues held an 11–10 shots on goal advantage and a 1–0 lead on the scoreboard.

Second period

It took about half the period for the offensive flood gates to open.

At 10:14, while the Hawks were on the man advantage, Pavel Buchnevich cleared the puck right to Fleury, who swatted it to his right. Brayden Schenn forechecked Jones, who lost his stick in the corner and Schenn found a wide open Buchnevich, who buried a one-timer from the left dot past Fleury to extend the St. Louis lead to 2–0.

On the same power play, just 39 seconds later, the Blackhawks cut the lead in half to 2–1, as Kane, while skating along the left half wall, found Johnson in the left circle and he went cross ice to DeBrincat, who one-timed a shot from the right circle at 10:53 of the middle frame.

After Collin Delia relieved Fleury in net, a move that was announced before the game, Robert Thomas regained a two-goal lead for the Blues after another offensive zone turnover by Kane. Justin Faulk led a Blues rush the other way and Jake Neighbors found Thomas, who had a step on Jones, and went high glove side on Delia to give the Blues a 3–1 advantage.

With just over a minute left in the second, DeBrincat found a loose puck and dished it to a pinching Caleb Jones, who buried it on a nearly wide-open cage to cut the Hawks’ deficit to 3–2.

After two periods, the Blues led the Hawks 3–2 and had a 24–20 advantage in shots on goal.

Third period

Early in the third, after the Hawks’ Dmitri Osipov took an undisciplined cross-checking penality, Ivan Barbashev capitalized on a loose puck in front of Delia to give the Blues a 4–2 lead at the 5:17 mark.

At 14:35, Vladimir Tarasenko, making his preseason debut, executed a beautiful give-and-go with Neighbors, ending with Tarasenko finishing from the right hash marks to extend the Blues’ lead to 5–2.

With 4:02 left, Carpenter was rewarded for his effort in this exhibition game. Dylan Strome started the play behind the net when he pursued the puck and the Blues’ defensemen lost his stick. The puck found Calvin de Haan in the slot and he backhanded the puck to Carpenter on the doorstep, who chipped it in to cut the St. Louis lead to 5–3.

With the Hawks’ net empty for the extra attacker, Tarasenko won a board battle in his own zone and sent the puck the other way on the rush, which ended with Neighbors capping a three-point night with a goal to extend the Blues’ lead to 6–3, which was the final.

The third period was nearly all St. Louis, as they outshot the Hawks 16–7 in the frame and 40–27 for the game.

Analysis: The good, the bad and the ugly

The good: Carpenter had a strong game in all three zones. The puck seemed to find him, as he generated multiple scoring chances in the first and was rewarded for his effort in the third with a goal.

Caleb Jones had a strong game, as he made a smart pinch in the offensive zone for a goal in the second and was mostly responsible defensively.

For the second straight game, Lukas Reichel played well alongside Brandon Hagel and Jonathan Toews. Reichel demonstrated tremendous skill and a “want to” attitude on the forecheck. While I predicted he will not make the team out of camp, if he keeps playing this way or better, Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton may not have a choice but to find a spot for him.

The bad: Turnovers, turnovers and turnovers. Have we seen this movie before? The Blackhawks continue to turn the puck over at an alarming rate in their own zone. By my count, Kane had two which led directly to goals.

Seth Jones. I contemplated whether to put him in the “bad” column or “ugly” column because he definitely was not good. He was on the ice for three goals by my count and had his pocket picked multiple times, however, his first exhibition game in a new city, with a new team, in a new system, is NOT the time to panic and call him a failed move by General Manager Stan Bowman.

The ugly: 40 shots on goal with most of their regulars playing? Yikes! Again, it is very early and not the time to panic, however, I do want to see how Colliton evolves as a head coach. He has been given the most talent to work with since he became the bench boss, however, I am still not seeing any semblance of a defensive structure within Colliton’s “system.”

The Blackhawks and Blues will meet again tomorrow night at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri, at 7 p.m. Unfortunately, there is no television or radio broadcast for this game.

Dach, Dach, deuce!

Earlier in the day, the Blackhawks agreed to terms with forward Colton Dach on a three-year entry-level contract that runs through the 2023–24 season with an $870,000 annual salary cap hit. A second-round selection (62nd overall) by the Blackhawks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the 18-year-old Dach joins his older brother, Blackhawks center Kirby Dach, in the organization. Colton has been with the Blackhawks for training camp, but will very likely play for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League this season after he was traded there earlier this week from the Saskatoon Blades. During the 2020–21 season, Colton registered a team-leading 11 goals and 20 points for the Blades.

The post Blackhawks drop second straight preseason contest to the Blues appeared first on The Rink.

Regardless, the game came down to the wire with the Blues trying their hardest to push the series to a fifth game. Unfortunately for them, it was too hard to stop the Colorado Avalanche who proved to be the better team.

First Period

Mark Rycroft of Altitude TV was asked before the game how we will know if the Avalanche are on track to win the game? His response was, “Tape to tape passes versus Tommy turnovers in the first ten minutes of the game.”

The pace was slow to start the period with both teams feeling each other out. The Avalanche did have some close chances, but none went in. Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly had an opportunity to try and bank the puck off of Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer’s shoulder, but Grubauer made a great save to keep the Blues off the scoreboard.

Similar to in game one, Coach Bednar called for short shifts, trying to get the momentum going. Alex Newhook took a big hit from a Blues defenseman and slid into the boards looking like he injured his back. He slowly made it to the bench then left for the dressing room to not return.

Late in the period, Ryan O’Reilly put the puck on net and Grubauer missed it as he was screened. But Ryan Graves saved the day again, just as he had in game one. The first penalty of the game came when Mikko Rantanen was called for tripping St. Louis forward Vladimir Tarasenko with two minutes left in the period. The Blues weren’t able to capitalize and the period ended with no score with shots on goal nine for Colorado and four for St. Louis.

That period didn’t feel like playoff hockey. Not a ton of intensity from either side, to be honest.

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) May 23, 2021

Second Period

The Avalanche started the second period with time to kill on the penalty and they did that successfully. With 15:35 remaining in the period, Tarasenko sprung loose on a breakaway and scored the first goal of the game.  It was the first lead of the series for St. Louis.

Nearly halfway through the period and the shots on goal were the Avalanche 16 and Blues 9.

With 8:23 remaining, Cale Makar found Brandon Saad in the slot on the powerplay who let a wrist shot go and it hit the back of the net tying the game at one. Philipp Grubauer had passed the puck out to Cale Makar who then sent the puck to Saad, so Grubauer registered his first assist for the Playoffs.

That goal gave the Avalanche the momentum they needed when three minutes later Gabe Landeskog tipped in a Samuel Girard shot to give the Avalanche the lead.

Now that's OUR Captain #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/crnH4WLOqT

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 24, 2021

Third Period

Brandon Saad was interviewed in the second intermission and when asked what the Avalanche needed to do in the third period he responded with “Keep it simple. The only chances they get are the ones we give them.”

Walking through that goal with Saader!

: @AltitudeTV#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/NmZf3eTXEa

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 23, 2021

The third period was going to be make or break time for the Blues. Avalanche players were peppering the net with good shots and at one point Jordan Binnington was laying on the puck as it was the only way to stop the Avalanche from scoring.

The commentators noted that at this point in the series that Connor Timmins and Patrik Nemeth were the only two Avalanche players without points on the entire team. That shows the depth of this team.

Mikko Rantanen silenced the crowd at Enterprise Center when he put the Avs in front 3-1 on a beautiful pass from Nathan MacKinnon.

Give us every angle of Mikko's goal EVER#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/wfHX6U9SFR

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 23, 2021

With just under two minutes remaining in the period, the Blues pulled Binnington. Not long after that Nathan MacKinnon was hit with a high stick and a double minor was called that sealed the game for the Avalanche.

This, of course, put Colorado on the power play but with the empty net, it remained five on five hockey as the Blues put an extra attacker on the ice. This didn’t stop the Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon from scoring the first of two empty-net goals, with the second by Valeri Nichuchskin with only two seconds remaining.

It may be an empty net but Baby!!!! I GOT MY VALLLLLLLLL GOAL

— She.Loves.Avs.n.F1 (@Avs_n_F1) May 23, 2021

The final score was 5-2 giving the Avalanche the first round sweep.

Gabriel Landeskog in his post-game interview said “Our defensive game is what’s gonna get us through. It was tonight.”

The post Avalanche sweep Blues, advance to second round appeared first on The Rink.

Colorado’s Nazem Kadri has been suspended for eight games for an Illegal Check to the Head on St. Louis’ Justin Faulk. https://t.co/5rg2ZPVm5P

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 22, 2021

Period one

The first period seemed as though both teams were being a little too careful and not wanting to make any mistakes. The Blues were clearly the more physical team, and the Avalanche tried their best to play a solid road game by keeping things simple. St. Louis had a couple of sequences where they pinned Colorado deep in their own zone, but Philipp Grubauer was able to keep the Avalanche in the contest.

Period two

The second was when all the action started. Just two minutes into the frame, birthday boy Ryan Graves was released from the penalty box and found the puck for a breakaway. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington misjudged playing the puck and left the net to challenge Graves, who was then able to score the first goal of the game.

Ryan Graves taking full advantage here. #StanleyCup

: https://t.co/NAvBGZ9Yg8 @NHLonNBCSports
: https://t.co/OQ9vAnIFa6 @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/XZhUV069l9

— NHL (@NHL) May 22, 2021

Later in the second, Alex Newhook carried the puck into the zone on an odd-man rush and centered a pass trying to find Valeri Nichushkin’s stick. The puck missed and ricocheted to JT Compher, who fired a shot off Binnington’s left pad, which rebounded right back to Newhook for his first NHL goal. But Colorado was not done yet. Minutes later, Gabriel Landeskog found Tyson Jost on another opportunity, who capitalized to make it 3–0 Avs.

Out of desperation, the Blues challenged Jost’s goal for goaltender interference, which they lost, thus putting the Avalanche on the power play. But, just before the period ended, Cale Makar lost the puck behind the net to Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly, who set up Tyler Bozak for a shorthanded tally. The Blues would cut the lead to 3–1 heading into the third period.

GETTING YOUR FIRST NHL GOAL IN THE PLAYOFFS, NOTTA BIG DEAL @AlexNewhook_ pic.twitter.com/MslOJfQYv4

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 22, 2021

Period three

St. Louis continued hitting as much as they could and ultimately finished the game with 46 hits as a team. But, it was the Avalanche that kept skating and making the Blues defend high-danger chances. More than halfway through the third, Andre Burakovsky skated into the St. Louis zone and found a streaking Brandon Saad, who scored his 20th career playoff goal to put Colorado ahead 4–1. Then, with a few minutes remaining in the game with Binnington pulled, Compher sealed the game with an empty-net goal.

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1395953528120782851?s=20

What’s next?

The Avalanche have a commanding 3–0 series lead and have the opportunity on Sunday to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In NHL history, there have only been four teams to ever come back from a 3–0 deficit in a series, so the numbers are on Colorado’s side. Unfortunately, the Avs will not have Kadri available for some time, but those shoes will have to be filled by Jost, who has been playing very well lately.

The post Avalanche beat Blues 5–1 in Game 3, look to advance Sunday appeared first on The Rink.

This time it all counts.

After an exciting day of NHL Qualifying games where we saw plenty of surprises, we will finally be able to enjoy an Avs game again as the Colorado Avalanche will set their eyes on obtaining the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference when they take on the St. Louis Blues on Sunday in the first game of the Round Robin series to determine seeding for the rest of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Starting against the Blues on Sunday, the Avalanche will also take on the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, August 5, and the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, August 8 to determine the Western Conference seedings for the playoffs.

So, what is actually important about obtaining the top spot in the Western Conference in this bubble situation? There is no home ice, no fans, so what could possibly be the motivator for winning your way towards earning the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference?

This all comes down to strategy, as Avs head coach Jared Bednar will want to have the ability to have the last line change. This may not sound that important, but it really becomes paramount in later games in series when you want to make sure you have the right people on the ice at the right moment. Hypothetically, imagine the Avalanche have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. There’s three minutes left in Game 7. Winner takes it all and the faceoff is in the opponents’ zone. Bednar would want the ability to have the last line change to put out the best possible players he can to help the Avalanche score the game-winning goal and take home the Stanley Cup.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? That is how important the last line change can be in the playoffs.

What can you expect in this game against the St. Louis Blues?

In layman’s terms, expect a hard-hitting and fast-paced game.

After a poor exhibition game showing against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blues will be looking to tune up their physical game on the Avalanche with the hopes of slowing the Avs down and enforcing the style of game that helped them win a Stanley Cup last season.

I expect the Avs to try to use their speed to enforce their own style of play to dominate the Blues. If the Blues will be looking to make some big hits, the Avalanche have plenty of grit of their own to match that. However, one of the specific players fans will want to keep an eye on during this game will be Nazem Kadri. Suspended the past two playoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs, this may be a defining game for the talented forward. Which Kadri will we see against the Blues?

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Avs defenseman Samuel Girard will be back in the lineup after missing the Avs 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild in their lone exhibition game.

What has led up to this showdown with the Blues?

Leading up to this round-robin showdown, the Avalanche and the Blues have been practically equal throughout the season (before the pause), as they split the season series. They nearly perfectly split goals for and goals against as well, with the Avalanche leading 15-14 in that category.

With the pre-pause season series set in stone, the Avalanche defeated the Wild 3-2 in their exhibition game, while the Blues fell to the Blackhawks 4-0.

The post Round Robin Preview: Avs vs Blues appeared first on The Rink.

After two big losses, several players were either injured or sick, so the Blackhawks would have their work cut out for themselves before ever taking the ice.  In fact, they only dressed seventeen players (eleven forwards, six defensemen) which meant Patrick Kane was going to play virtually half the game.

In goal, the decision could have been a toss-up for head coach Jeremy Colliton, but Robin Lehner came down with flu-like symptoms and was ruled out, thus making Corey Crawford the default starter.  Kevin Lankinen was recalled from Rockford on an emergency basis this morning to back up Crawford.

These were the Blackhawks’ starting lines:
Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Original Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat – Ryan Carpenter – Clone Patrick Kane
Dominik Kubalik – David Kampf – Alexander Nylander
Zack Smith – Kirby Dach – Anton Wedin

Olli Maatta – Connor Murphy
Calvin de Haan – Brent Seabrook
Slater Koekkoek – Erik Gustafsson

First period

It didn’t take long for the Blackhawks to surrender a lead to the Blues. Just over two and a half minutes into the first period, an innocent Blues dump in hit the end board and eluded Corey Crawford and landed in the lap of Mackenzie MacEachern. MacEachern quickly chipped the puck through Crawford’s glove before the fans had all taken their seats.

The bad play didn’t stop there though. Chicago earned a questionable power play but gave up more chances (including a shorthanded breakaway) during the advantage.

With just under six minutes left in the first period (following a bad call on Patrick Kane) the Blackhawks defense left Corey Crawford to fend for himself and fight for position with Jaden Schwartz. Schwartz won the battle and redirected a long shot past the helpless Blackhawks goaltender, giving the defending champs a 2–0 lead.

That was how the period ended, with shots on net tied at ten apiece.

Second period

The Blackhawks came out and played like a competent NHL team in the second period and while they did put any goals up on the scoreboard, they did outshoot their opponents. The good part was that the Blues didn’t score either. Each team had a power play, as well.

When the teams broke for the intermission, the Blackhawks led in shots for the period 11–9 and 21–19 overall.

Third period

At the midway point of the third period, shockingly wide open Blues center Brayden Schenn lined up a slowly approaching puck and one-timed it over Corey Crawford’s blocker side to give his team a 3–0 lead.

David Kampf had a few late chances but couldn’t find the back of the net if his life depended on it.

With 1:49 left in the game, Olli Maatta egregiously turned the puck over to a waiting Tyler Bozak at the Blackhawks blue line and Bozak blew his shot past Crawford to give the Blues a 4–0 lead.

That was all she wrote at the United Center as Jake Allen shut out the home team despite outshooting St. Louis 38–30.

Pluses

• The Blackhawks didn’t lose 6–0 and they actually outshot a far superior opponent.

Minuses

• I hate harping on this but when you General Manager is branded as some kind of salary cap savant, and you’re forced to play one player short because of sloppiness in cap management, the GM is doing an awful job.  Fans paid money to watch a team that couldn’t ice enough players.
• The crowd was absolutely lifeless and they booed the Blackhawks off the ice following the game.
• For all the people crying that Gustafsson needed to be back on the top power play, he played 3:17 of powerplay time and didn’t do a damn thing.  He also played more than every player not named Patrick Kane.  I cannot say I heard his name or saw him do anything productive the entire night.  If you told me he was a healthy scratch, I would have believed you.

The Blackhawks will face the league-leading Boston Bruins at the TD Garden on Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blues toy with the Blackhawks and easily win 4–0 appeared first on The Rink.

Prior to the game, the Esposito brothers were honored together for “One More Shift” in a Blackhawks sweater. There is no doubt the moment had to be special for the brothers, players and fans alike, as these two greats, and Top 100 players of all time, were honored before Wednesday’s clash.

Dylan Sikura was sent down to the Rockford on Tuesday. In return, the Blackhawks recalled defenseman Dennis Gilbert for his NHL debut. The lines returned to similar form, with a few exceptions. They were as follows:

Drake Caggiula – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Strome – Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad – Artem Anisimov – Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz – Marcus Kruger – John Hayden

Duncan Keith – Erik Gustafsson

Carl Dahlstrom – Brent Seabrook

Dennis Gilbert – Connor Murphy

Cam Ward

David Kampf is injured with a facial injury and both Gustav Forsling and Slater Koekkoek were healthy scratches on Wednesday night.

First period:

The first period began in pretty quiet fashion for both teams. The early portion of the frame was highlighted by sloppy plays and poor shot attempts. Neither team was able to generate much through the first 10 minutes.

After a slow first half of the period, the Blues found themselves with a golden opportunity to take the lead. With eight minutes left in the stanza, youngster Robert Thomas was sprung on a breakaway. Ward denied the bid and kept the visitors off the board.

With under four minutes remaining in the period, the Blackhawks’ top line created a quality opportunity. Toews carried the puck up the ice and found Kane at the offensive face-off dots in the Blues’ zone. Kane fired what looked like a shot on net that was tipped intentionally by the captain, giving the Blackhawks a 1–0 lead late in the first period.

Captain Jonathan Toews tallied his 35th goal of the season tonight to establish a new career-high!

He tops the 34 he scored in 2008-09. #OCAPTAIN pic.twitter.com/MOabJSamQW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

Not much else happened early, and the Blackhawks took their 1–0 lead into the first intermission against the red-hot Blues.

Second period:

The second period did not begin well for the home team. Gustafsson let a puck get by him on a pinch attempt and sprung Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly on a two-on-one against Keith. Tarasenko elected to shoot from the left wing side and buried a beautiful wrist shot to tie the game at 1–1.

26 seconds through the 2nd period and Vladimir Tarasenko makes it a 1-1 game. pic.twitter.com/JXrZu19HSS

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

A few minutes later, the Blues nearly struck again. This time, the Blues were short handed when Oskar Sundqvist found himself on a breakaway against Ward. Ward made a beautiful save on the play, just getting enough of the puck for it to hit the crossbar and harmlessly float to the corner.

With just under seven minutes remaining in the middle frame, Saad made a great play in his own zone to poke the puck away from David Perron. Saad started the two-on-two up ice with Kahun and Saad quickly passed the puck to his fellow winger.

Saad crashed the net, along with Anisimov, while Kahun pulled up just over the blue line. Kahun skated to the middle of the ice and fired a wrist shot at the net. Anisimov, on a fly by in front of Jake Allen, tipped the puck past Allen and gave the Blackhawks the 2–1 lead.

Anisimov! #Blackhawks take a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period! pic.twitter.com/x3tdRTO4ln

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

A late power play for the Blackhawks would not amount to anything and teams entered the second intermission with the score still 2–1.

Third period:

The early portion of the third period was similar to that of the first, neither team could generate any meaningful offense. With about eight and a half minutes remaining, the Blackhawks started up ice as the forwards went to change.

Strome was all alone on the left wing side of the ice in his own zone. Strome was able to find Kane, who bolted ahead after coming off the bench, for a breakaway from the blue line in. Kane used his dynamic speed and roofed a perfect backhand shot to give the Blackhawks a 3–1 lead. Initially, the referees were unsure if the puck entered the net due to how fast it came out of the net. However, after review, the goal was good and Kane recorded his 42nd goal and career-high 107th point.

Patrick Kane snaps a 10 game goal drought AND sets a new career high in points with 107 pic.twitter.com/9UyoiviTbq

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

The celebration would not last. On the next shift, primary assist getter Dylan Strome was sent to the penalty box, giving the visitors life on the power play. Less than a minute after Kane’s goal, Perron beat Ward blocker side to cut the deficit to just one at 3–2.

A power play goal for the Blues!

Don't go to sleep yet folks, we've got a lot of game left to play! Watch: https://t.co/w77aqOnokG pic.twitter.com/Rknk3kJNqu

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) April 4, 2019

The Blackhawks were able to fend off the Blues for the bulk of the third period. As time dwindled down, Allen was pulled for the extra attacker. Kane missed wide on an open-net chance, sending St. Louis back into the Chicago zone.

The Blues’ third line gave the team new life. Patrick Maroon carried the puck in on the left wing boards with just over 40 seconds remaining. He fired a pass backdoor to a crashing and wide open Tyler Bozak to even the game at 3–3. Bozak was all alone in the blue paint and stuffed the puck past Ward to send the game to overtime.

TYLER BOZAK IN THE LAST SECONDS OF THE GAME! CLUTCH!#STLBlues pic.twitter.com/0SjcO1EhI4

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 4, 2019

Overtime:

The overtime period would not amount to much for either team. Both teams had notable chances, but neither side could capitalize in the five-minute, three-on-three frame.

The best chance of overtime came from Saad. As his linemates changed, Saad carried the puck in, one-on-one, against St. Louis forward Brayden Schenn. Saad made a move to freeze Schenn and created an open chance from the face-off dot in. The power forward brought the puck nicely to his backhand, but was denied by Allen to ultimately send the game to a shootout.

Shootout:

Toews and the Blackhawks elected to go first in the shootout and the captain did not disappoint. Toews skated off to Allen’s left, back to the middle and gave a quick backhand-forehand combination before burying a shot high past Allen’s blocker. Chicago took a quick 1–0 lead in the shootout.

Let's take another look at Jonny's sensational shootout winner, shall we?!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/PRtJsbGPPz

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

Toews’ goal was ultimately the only tally in the “fifth period”. Kane struck iron and DeBrincat beat Allen but could not elevate the backhand shot. Fortunately, Ward stopped all three St. Louis shooters to preserve the 4–3 Blackhawks victory in the shootout.

Quick hits:

• Hey kid, welcome to the show: Gilbert made his NHL debut on Wednesday night against the Blues. The former Notre Dame defenseman has played well for the IceHogs all season, being paired with Henri Jokiharju often as Rockford’s top pairing. With the Blackhawks officially out of the playoff race, it makes sense to give some of their young defenseman a look. The Hawks have a logjam of players on the back end, so sorting out the good from the bad is necessary to clear roster spots if they want young players to come up and contribute.
• Kane’s career high: After scoring his 42nd goal on Wednesday, Kane set a new career high in points for a season with 107. The 30-year-old winger has been sensational all season. Had the Blackhawks made the playoffs, a strong case could have been made for Kane as league MVP. In deciding which player was truly most important to their team, there is no doubt Kane has a better case than Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and possibly Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the award. Nonetheless, Kane looks ageless at this point, and a strong offseason by General Manager Stan Bowman and the rest of the front office could position this team for one more run with Kane and Toews in their primes.
• Saad is worth $6 million: Saad receives a lot of hate from the Blackhawks fan base, claiming he is not worth his contract. However, the 26-year-old has 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) and plays an excellent two-way game. Wednesday night’s game is a prime example of that. Saad was all over the ice making plays at both ends for the Blackhawks. He may not be a 70-point player, but Saad is worth every penny of his contract. If the forward group does not have to babysit the defensemen next year on defense, as they have done so heavily this season, we could easily see Saad erupt for a 30-goal, 30-assist season while still playing that relentless two-way game.

The Blackhawks remain in Chicago after Wednesday’s game, waiting to welcome the Dallas Stars to town on Friday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks defeat the Blues 4–3 in the shootout appeared first on The Rink.

7 p.m. CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (14–18–5, save percentage: .907, goals against average: 2.96)
St. Louis – Jordan Binnington (22–5–1, save percentage: .928, goals against average: 1.85)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.7 percent, 11th)
St. Louis (20.3 percent, 15th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.2 percent, 31st)
St. Louis (81.6 percent, Ninth)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5, 12th; 34.5, 30th)
St. Louis (31.6, 15th; 28.5, Fourth)

Shooting Percentage
Chicago (10.0 percent, Eighth)
St. Louis (9.3 percent, 18th)

Faceoff Percentage
Chicago (49.4 percent, T-20th)
St. Louis (51.4 percent, Sixth)

Average height and weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197 lbs.
St. Louis 6’2”, 203 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

St. Louis Blues

Brayden Schenn–Ryan O’Reilly–Vladimir Tarasenko

Jaden Schwartz–Oskar Sundqvist–David Perron

Pat Maroon–Tyler Bozak–Robert Thomas

Zachary Sanford–Ivan Barbashev–Alex Steen

Vince Dunn–Alex Pietrangelo

Jay Bouwmeester–Colton Parayko

Carl Gunnarsson–Robert Bortuzzo

Analysis

“Technically still alive.” That was the expression fans everywhere were using to describe the Blackhawks’ playoff chances. However, on Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche took care of business and officially eliminated both the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks from playoff contention. The season is officially over for the Blackhawks.

On Tuesday, Dylan Sikura was sent back to Rockford to try and help them save their season by sneaking into the AHL playoffs. After being down 2–0 early in the game, the IceHogs pulled off the big win over the San Antonio Rampage with a 5–3 victory. Dylan Sikura and William Pelletier both scored two goals in the win.

This morning, defenseman Dennis Gilbert was recalled from Rockford and will potentially get a look in the last three games.

The baby Blackhawks are still alive. However, the Blackhawks front office now turns to the draft in June. This offseason is a huge opportunity for the Blackhawks to improve either via trade or free agency. The fan base will find out how this team is trending based on the moves made this offseason.

Although the Blackhawks’ playoff hopes are dead, they can still play spoiler to two of their division rivals in these last three games. Tonight, the St. Louis Blues will be in a three-way tie for first if they capture a win. The Blackhawks can force the Blues into a “visitor’s position” in the playoff bracket and give the Predators (who they will face on Saturday) an advantage with home ice in the first round.

The Blues are still very hot heading into the playoffs. They have won six of their last seven games, with their only loss coming to the New York Rangers last weekend. This team is arguably one of the deepest teams in the league with an incredible defense and a surprising star in net. The Blues have everything it takes for a quality playoff run.

The Blues have been quite a surprise. As of late January, this team was last in the NHL. Now, this team is destined for one of the top five or six records in the league. Credit is due to Craig Berube behind the bench and Jordan Binnington in net. Binnington leads the NHL in numerous categories for qualifying goaltenders and is arguably the leading candidate for rookie of the year. There are some great rookies who will be favored over Binnington in voting, but it is undeniable the impact he has had since being called up earlier this season.

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.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks vs. Blues appeared first on The Rink.

Jeremy Colliton wasted no time getting a healthy Gustav Forsling into the lineup. The 22-year old defenseman forced Brandon Davidson and Jan Rutta into the press box for the evening.

This was your Blackhawks starting lineup:
Nick Schmaltz–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat–David Kampf–Dominik Kahun
Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–John Hayden
Chris Kunitz–Luke Johnson–Andreas Martinsen
Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson–Henri Jokiharju
Brandon Manning-Gustav Forsling

The action early on was uneventful on both ends of the ice. At the first television timeout, the Hawks were outshooting the Blues 3-2. A slow start, in hindsight, was a great thing for Chicago as they looked more committed to the defensive end.

With just over eight minutes in the period, Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, on a 2-on-1 with winger Jordan Schmaltz, was stopped by Crawford. Crawford made a nice read as Schmaltz was forced to his backhand before shoveling a pass over to Tarasenko, who found himself in too deep, and could not tuck the puck in short side.

Exhibit A: pic.twitter.com/p5OCQA10GT

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 15, 2018

Following some end-to-end action, the Hawks generated an excellent opportunity after Brandon Saad made a nice play along the wall. John Hayden was the recipient of the Saad touch pass and threw an innocent looking shot on net at goaltender Jake Allen. A soft rebound found Artem Anisimov’s stick but the center could not bury home the rebound.

The period ended with the Blackhawks leading their opponents 10-8 in shots.

St. Louis came out gunning early in the second period. Center Ryan O’Reilly missed a great opportunity when his shot attempt went wide of the net. Crawford appeared to be in desperation mode but the Blues could not find the back of the net.

Less than a minute later, forward Tyler Bozak generated another quality chance for the Blues but was stoned by Crawford.

The Blues third early chance of the period, generated when Crawford misplayed a puck behind the net, also resulted in a nice save. Forward Robert Thomas found the puck on his stick, as Crawford scurried back into his net, but could not slip one past.

Three and a half minutes into the period, Tarasenko took a hooking penalty on Nick Schmaltz. The Hawks went on the power play for the first time tonight.

On the man advantage, Patrick Kane made a nice play along the boards, shaking loose from defenseman Ivan Barbashev, and found Jonathan Toews goal line extended with the pass. Toews took the puck hard to the net, only to find Brent Seabrook coming backdoor with a nice pass. Seabrook’s shot, initially stopped by Allen, ricochet off Jay Bouwmeester’s skate and into the Hawk’s net.

A goal's a goal!#CHIvsSTL pic.twitter.com/pJJlZ7lyfo

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 15, 2018

Seabrook’s goal, assisted by Toews and Kane, was his third of the season and a much needed power play goal. Hawks lead 1-0.

Midway through the middle frame, John Hayden put the Blues on the power play, after hooking Robby Fabbri. With not much action happening, it seemed the last thing the Hawks needed was to be shorthanded after taking the lead.

The penalty kill did an excellent job keeping the Blues from sustaining any pressure on Crawford, allowing only one shot on goal. Successfully killing off the penalty, after taking the lead, was a huge boost.

After a Blues turnover, with less than two minutes in the period, Toews found Kane streaking toward the net with a pass, only to have Kane hit the post with his shot. This would not be the last time the Hawks would draw iron.

After two periods, the Blues led in shots 18-15.

Committing to defense continued to be the Blackhawks’ theme. This was never more evident than in the third period. The Hawks would only generate four shots on goal in the last frame, however, went into their best lockdown mode of the season on defense.

The opponents generated some shots early but nothing too difficult for Crawford. With 7:49 left in the game, the Blues had only generated seven shots on goal for the period, none considered a high percentage chance.

The Hawks best offensive chance happened when Henri Jokiharju almost gave his team an insurance marker, with just under three minutes left to play. Schmaltz raced down the left wing and found Jokiharju trailing the play with a nice drop pass. The defenseman ringed a shot off the post, keeping the advantage 1-0.

Blues Coach Mike Yeo pulled the goaltender with 1:20 on the clock, but did not generate much action, until David Perron found himself on the doorstep with :18 to play, only to be denied by a sliding Crawford.

As the horn sounded, Crawford celebrated his 24^th shutout of his career, all the while, Jeremy Colliton quietly shook his assistants hands and walked off with his first NHL coaching victory.

#HAWKSWIN https://t.co/VM1IseBkTQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 15, 2018

The GOOD:

Corey Crawford bounced back after five straight losses in the crease. The veteran faced only 28 shots tonight but looked to be in great position all night. His confidence level looked great.

A power play goal. The Hawks may have received a little help from Bouwmeester but a power play goal is a power play goal.

Jeremy Colliton’s first NHL win. The 33-year old has been thrust into a difficult spot for any coach, let alone a rookie younger than some veterans.

THE BAD

Outshot 28-19. May be nitpicking here – especially after applauding the defensive effort – but the Hawks had been generating over 33 shots a game.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Blank The Blues 1-0 appeared first on The Rink.

Opting to dress 7 defensemen due to injuries/illness at forward, the Hawks’ lines and pairings were:

Sharp-Schmaltz-Kane

Saad-Anisimov-Martinsen

Sikura-Ejdsell-Debrincat

Kampf-Hinostroza

Keith–Seabrook

Gustafsson–Murphy

Hillman–Rutta–Oesterle

JF Berube was in net Wednesday night in St. Louis for a Hawk win, so clearly he deserved to keep the night for one more night—or at least the start of it. Former Hawk backup Carter Hutton replaced the goat of Wednesday night’s game, Jake Allen, in net for St. Louis.

First period.

The two teams played evenly though much of the first period. It wasn’t until 1:43 of the first when Blues’ forward Patrick Bergund deflected a Joel Edmondson point shot past Berube, making it 1-0 St. Louis. The period would end at that score, with the Blues leading in shots 10-5.

Second period.

It was a quick and scoreless second stanza, with the shots favoring St. Louis 9-7, making the totals for the game 21-12 Blues.

Third period.

The Hawks looked to be jumping back into the game at 11:52, when Patrick Kane found a pinching Erik Gustafsson on a nifty cross-ice pass that Gustafsson blew past Hutton stick side. 1-1.

But then the wheels came off. 16 seconds later, Berglund got his second goal off a rebound with a St. Louis forward parked right on top of Berube. 2-1, Blues.

At 7:20, an unmolested Jaden Schwartz blasted a shot from the slot, beating Berube, after Keith made an inexplicably soft, bad attempt to work a puck along the end board to Seabrook, which was swallowed up by a St. Louis forward and kicked out to Schwartz. Berube, meanwhile, became mesmerized by what was going on behind him, and failed to get adequately set when the puck went to Schwartz. 3-1 Blues.

The Hawks were put out of their misery by Berglund’s third goal of the night, an empty netter at 1:11.

The good.

He didn’t do much in the game, or even really this season, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer—on behalf of The-Rink.com—a full-throated salute to Sharp. He was an integral player on several great Hawk teams and filled nets around the NHL with a lot of big goals while wearing the Indianhead. Thank you, Sharpie.

Secondarily, the Blues came, played hard and physical, and behind a (mostly) steady hand in Hutton, took care of business in a must-win road game.

Gustafsson had the lone Hawk goal. Gustafsson is great as far as knowing when and how to pinch and he has a good shot.

The bad.

Keith was -4 in this game, Seabrook -2, Artem Anisimov -3. The Hawks were outshot 35-20. The Hawks remain absolutely terrible in their end, which was compounded tonight by their best defenseman, Keith, having a lousy outing.

The ugly.

The much-celebrated Gustafsson is awful at actual ‘defense.’ Period. For next season, the Hawks need defensemen who can actually defend. At least a couple of them that they don’t have now.

Summary.

You really got the sense in this game, especially the third period, that the Hawks are thinking more about their new sets of gold clubs and summer conditioning programs than they are winning hockey games. It’s not surprising. Sort of disappointing to watch, however. This painful, miserable and puzzling season ends tonight in Winnipeg. We’ll have a preview and a recap.

The-Rink clothing line from PUCKhcky.com is here!

Check it out: https://twitter.com/TheRinkOfficial/status/982381116362559488. Items will be available for order soon.

Please comment below.

Follow: @jaeckel

The post Recap: Blues beat Blackhawks 4-1, move closer to playoffs appeared first on The Rink.

TIME: 7:30PM Central/8:30PM Eastern
RADIO: WGN 720
TV: NBCSCH

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Chicago:
Jean-Francois Berube (3-5-1 W-L | 3.84 GAA | 0.893 SV% | 0 SO)

St. Louis:
Jake Allen (27-24-3 W-L | 2.74 GAA | 0.906 SV% | 1 SO)

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Chicago:

Brandon Saad – Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane
Dylan Sikura – Victor Ejdsell – Alex DeBrincat
Tomas Jurco (Questionable) – Artem Anisimov – Andreas Martinsen
Patrick Sharp – David Kampf – Vinnie Hinostroza

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson – Connor Murphy
Blake Hillman – Jan Rutta – Jordan Oesterle

St. Louis:

Jaden Schwartz – Brayden Schenn – Vladimir Tarasenko
Patrik Berglund – Kyle Brodziak – Alex Steen
Dmitrij Jaskin – Vladimir Sobotka – Tage Thompson
Ivan Barbashev – Oskar Sundqvist – Chris Thorburn

Joel Edmundson – Alex Pietrangelo
Vince Dunn – Colton Parayko
Chris Butler – Robert Bortuzzo

STATISTICAL COMPARISONS:

Power Play:
Chicago 16.1% (28th)
St. Louis 15.2% (30th)

Penalty Kill:
Chicago 79.1% (20th)
St. Louis 79.7% (18th)

Corsi FOR % (5-on-5):
Chicago 52.59% (4th)
St. Louis 51.75% (6th)

Faceoffs:
Chicago 49.3% (19th)
St. Louis 50.7% (11th)

SUMMARY:

After an absolutely heartbreaking loss to the Blackhawks, at home, just two nights previous, the Blues try once again to gain some ground in the Colorado Avalanche.  If the Blackhawks can win once again the Blues will be one step closer to being eliminated from the playoffs.  Talk about sweet irony.

The Avalanche had a chance to stick a dagger into the heart of the Blues by beating the Sharks, last night, but failed to do so with a 4-2 regulation loss.  The Blues now hold their destiny in their hands.  If the Blackhawks win this game, they hold off the Blues fate until Saturday night.  If they lose, the Blues hop over the Avs by one point.

After the Blackhawks announced Thursday that they would be bringing back coach Joel Quenneville and GM Stan Bowman, some of the off-season drama has been eliminated.  The team can now concentrate on the draft and free agency.

As far as the Blackhawks go, Andreas Martinsen and Blake Hillman are coming off a big game.  They both scored their first goals as Blackhawks, on Wednesday.  Hillman’s goal was his first pro goal since signing his entry level deal on March 27th.  Both are looking to throw their hats in the ring for spots next fall.

Tomas Jurco was sick, as of the morning skate, and is questionable for tonight.  As a result, Joel Quenneville indicated that he could possibly go with seven defensemen, if Jurco is out.

Lastly, tonight will be bittersweet, as the Blackhawks honor Stan Mikita with a “One More Shift” celebration.  Due to his medical condition, his grandsons will take the ice representing him.

This could also be the last time Patrick Sharp plays in the United Center, as he is coming to the end of his career, and certainly his time with the Blackhawks organization.

Join our discussion below and look out for a recap following the game or tomorrow.

Follow me on Twitter @PuckinHostile

The post Chicago Blackhawks vs St Louis Blues Preview & Game Thread appeared first on The Rink.

TIME: 7:00PM Central/8:00PM Eastern
RADIO: WGN 720
TV: NBCSCH

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Chicago:
Jean-Francois Berube (2-5-1 W-L | 3.93 GAA | 0.891 SV% | 0 SO)

St. Louis:
Jake Allen (27-23-3 W-L | 2.72 GAA | 0.907 SV% | 1 SO)

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Chicago:
Brandon Saad – Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane
Dylan Sikura – Victor Ejdsell – Alex DeBrincat
Tomas Jurco – Artem Anisimov – Andreas Martinsen
Patrick Sharp – David Kampf – Vinnie Hinostroza

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson – Connor Murphy
Jordan Oesterle – Jan Rutta/Blake Hillman

St. Louis:
Jaden Schwartz – Brayden Schenn – Vladimir Tarasenko
Patrik Berglund – Kyle Brodziak – Alex Steen
Dmitrij Jaskin – Vladimir Sobotka – Tage Thompson
Ivan Barbashev – Oskar Sundqvist – Chris Thorburn

Joel Edmundson – Alex Pietrangelo
Vince Dunn – Colton Parayko
Chris Butler – Robert Bortuzzo

STATISTICAL COMPARISONS:

Power Play:
Chicago 15.8% (29th)
St. Louis 15.3% (30th)

Penalty Kill:
Chicago 78.9% (20th)
St. Louis 80.0% (18th)

Corsi FOR % (5-on-5):
Chicago 52.74% (4th)
St. Louis 51.64% (8th)

Faceoffs:
Chicago 49.5% (18th)
St. Louis 50.5% (11th)

SUMMARY:

The pain of this miserable season is close to being over. Before it is over, though, the Blackhawks will play a home-and-home series against the St. Louis Blues and finish their season saturday against the Winnipeg Jets. They will be doing so with the goaltending battery of JF Berube and Jeff Glass (of the Jeff Glass Experience).

Last night, John and I mentioned some of the young players that are worth getting a look at in Victor Ejdsell, Dylan Sikura and Blake Hillman. That would be the hidden blessing behind this painful season. Instead of having to guess what these young players can or will do in the NHL, we get to witness a sample size and judge for ourselves.

The Blues, on the other hand, are fighting to take the last wild card spot and currently sit on the outside. Four points against the Blackhawks could help them quite a bit, so the Hawks can actually play spoiler. How sweet that would be.

Join our discussion below and look out for a recap following the game or tomorrow.

Follow me on Twitter @PuckinHostile

The post Chicago Blackhawks at St. Louis Blues Preview & Game Thread appeared first on The Rink.

6:30PM Central
RADIO: WGN 720

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Chicago:
Anton Forsberg (9-15-3, 3.04 GAA, .905 Save%)

St. Louis:
Jake Allen (22-21-2, 2.77 GAA, .906 Save%)

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Chicago:
Saad-Toews-Kane
Highmore-Schmaltz-Hinostroza
Jurco-Anisimov-DeBrincat
Sharp-Kampf-Hayden

Keith-Rutta
Gustafsson-Seabrook
Oesterle-Murphy

St. Louis:
Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko
Berglund-Brodziak-Steen
Jaskin-Sobotka-Thompson
Soshnikov-Barbashev-Thorburn

Gunnarsson-Pietrangelo
Dunn-Parayko
Edmundson-Bortuzzo

STATISTICAL COMPARISONS:

Power Play:
Chicago 15.6% (T-28^th)
St. Louis 15.2% (30^th)

Penalty Kill:
Chicago 80.7% (14^th)
St. Louis 80.9% (13^th)

Corsi FOR % (5-on-5):
Chicago 52.79% (4^th)
St. Louis 51.31% (10^th)

Faceoffs:
Chicago 49.7% (18^th)
St. Louis 50.2% (14^th)

SUMMARY:

Only 10 games left of this miserable season, as the Blackhawks head back to the United Center after a 5-3 loss in Buffalo yesterday afternoon. The Hawks are 3-6 this month, and are showing clear signs that they are as ready for this season to be over as their fans.

However, their opponent tonight, the St. Louis Blues, are still fighting to stay in the playoff picture. Coming off an overtime win against the Rangers, the Blues are three points out of the final wild card spot, with one game in hand.

As disinterested as the Hawks have seemed the last few weeks, I hope to see a team rejuvenated by the long-time rivalry against the Blues, and I know every Blackhawks fan out there is rooting for the Hawks to spoil the Blues playoff hopes.

Plus, we all know what Spring hockey between the Blues and Blackhawks has meant over the years (Brent Seabrook hit on David Backes, St. Patrick’s Day Massacre, etc.)

We’ll recap tonight or tomorrow AM. Join the conversation below!

Follow: @CoachMajewski

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