Series Preview: Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues

Season Series

The Blues won the season series between these teams 3-2, with both of Chicago’s wins coming in the final two meetings. Chicago has the momentum between these teams, and if they can build off their April 6th victory, Chicago could steal game one on the road. Both teams had many representatives during the Olympics, and as such will need to battle through the fatigue that comes from an extra long season.

St. Louis Blues

Regular Season

The St. Louis Blues finished third in the Western Conference, and second in the Central Division in the regular season with 111 points on the year. The season for St. Louis was a huge success throughout. They battled all season long for the top of the entire NHL. Ken Hitchcock has the Blues playing incredible defensive hockey, and yet they also have enough one-shot scorers, meaning when they bury their scoring chances.

With the acquisition of Ryan Miller from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline, the Blues sent a message to the league that they’re going all in for the Cup. The Blues are a possession team that thrives in playing a heavy game that grinds and wears down opponents. They cycle the puck down low very well and then make no mistake when holes open up.

However, the Blues limped to the finish line losing their final six games in the regular season. This should be a wakeup call for St. Louis. The playoffs are an entire different animal than the regular season is. In years past the Blues have learnt this message repeatedly as they failed to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals; the hope in St. Louis was that they will finally turn a corner and become a legitimate Stanley Cup threat. The six game losing streak will either work in their favor, as it can serve to wake them form their late seasons lumber, or it will devastate them if they fail to turn the momentum in their favor.

Keys to Win

The Blues will need to get back to dominating games the way they did before this six game losing streak. When they are winning it is because they are playing a smart system with a focus on puck possession, hard work, two-way play and strong goaltending. Ryan Miller was brought in at the deadline to provide stability in net, Miller has suffered through a rough couple seasons in Buffalo but he is still an elite goaltender that can steal hockey games. He will need to string together his best hockey in years if the Blues are going to get past the Blackhawks.

Key Players

Ryan Miller, David Backes, Patrik Berglund, Alex Pietrangelo, Alex Steen, Jay Bouwmeester. These players will be heavily relied upon in this series. Barring injuries to some of these key players, the Blues will be in trouble if any of them are out for a significant amount of time. These are the players needed to flip the momentum. They are the veteran leaders of this Blues team, so it is incumbent that they lead this team out of the darkness that is their six game losing streak.

Key Injuries

David Backes (questionable), Patrick Berglund (questionable), Brendan Morrow (questionable), TJ Oshie (questionable), Vladimir Sobotka (questionable), Vladimir Tarasenko (out 6 weeks)

Chicago Blackhawks

Regular Season

The Blackhawks, like the Blues, struggled to end the season. Going just 5-5-0 in the final ten games, and losing their final two, the defending cup champs enter the playoffs on a cold streak. Repeating as Stanley Cup Champions is the most difficult challenge in all of sports. The war that is the NHL Playoffs takes a toll on the body, mind and soul of these players. The offseason is supposed to be the time for players to relax the mind and body and then start building it back up for the long grind of the NHL season. When you win the Stanley Cup it means you have played an additional 16 games at least, the off season becomes about celebrating your achievements, and the focus is less on next year and more on reveling in the Championship that you have dreamt of winning since you first put on skates. This is why teams seeking to repeat often fizzle out and lose momentum once the playoffs get underway; Chicago needs to avoid this letdown if they are to have success against the Blues.

The Blackhawks will face the challenge of fatigue even more so than in most years. Having sent a number of players to the Olympics, some of the Chicago players have played an egregious amount of hockey in the past two years. Fatigue will be a factor for Chicago.

Keys to Win

Winning will come down to health and how well conditioned this Hawk team is. Fatigue will catch up to them, but if they can fight through it and capture the momentum of this series early, it may be enough to propel them to victory. They will need Toews and Kane to come back healthy. Both players finished the regular season on the IR and if they have any lingering health issues it will be a huge disadvantage for Chicago.

Key Players

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Corey Crawford, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw. These are the players who have been here before and had success. They need to lead this team, and show that fatigue is not a factor.

Key Injuries

Both of the key injuries for Chicago are expected to return to the lineup for Game 1 of this series. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are the leaders of this team; Chicago gets an incredible boost with both returning just in time for game 1.

Schedule

Thursday, April 17 8 p.m. Chicago at St. Louis NBCSN, CBC

Saturday, April 19 3 p.m. Chicago at St. Louis NBC, CBC

Monday, April 21 8:30 p.m. St. Louis at Chicago CNBC, CBC

Wednesday, April 23 9:30 p.m. St. Louis at Chicago NBCSN, CBC

*Friday, April 25 8 p.m. Chicago at St. Louis NBCSN, CBC

*Sunday, April 27 3 p.m. St. Louis at Chicago NBC, CBC

*Tuesday, April 29 TBD Chicago at St. Louis CBC

Prediction

If St. Louis can stay healthy and get back to playing the heavy game that had them flying earlier this season, they should be able to wear down this Chicago team. Ryan Miller will have to steal at least two games in this series.

Blues in 7.

All images sourced from Getty Images.