Today’s NHL schedule sees the Blues welcome the Chicago Blackhawks in what should be an entertaining match at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. If you plan to watch St. Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks live, stream online, or on TV today then first check out our Blues vs Blackhawks match preview.
St. Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks
The St. Louis Blues go into this one with a 59% points percentage, and naturally as favorites over the Blackhawks. Davis Payne will be sure to keep an eye on how their Central division foes collected 43 points in 37 games played this season but he will know that a lot of it will come down to containing Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith. The St. Louis goal differential is -0.12 this season (good for number 17 in the NHL), but not as good as the Chicago Blackhawks’s positive goal margin of 0.35 in the 2010-2011 NHL season.
Playing on the road, the Blackhawks will need to play to their strengths and their 25 power play % is their strongest statistical attribute (and 1st in the whole league in that area). Joel Quenneville’s team is 20-14 this season and today will hope to improve their 43 point total to climb further up in the standings.
St. Louis are number 5 in the league in the ‘shots against per game’ departement and Joel Quenneville and his coaching staff will therefore certainly want to balance out St. Louis’s 28.2 shots against per game this season. The Blues have a 70% winning percentage when leading after the first period, so getting off to a good start will be important.