Chicago’s race for the playoffs is getting a bit more awkward lately. After losing in overtime to Montreal, sure they got a point in the standings for their effort, but Dallas earned two points behind them after shutting out Columbus. The Blackhawks (93 points) have just a two point lead on Dallas (91 points) and both teams have three games left to play. Calgary is right there as well tied with Dallas, but with just two games left things are a bit tougher for them as they have more shootout wins than both teams.
Chicago will now have to weather the storm tonight against St. Louis and possibly in their final two games against Detroit without forward Troy Brouwer. Brouwer left last night’s game against Montreal with an apparent right shoulder injury. While Brouwer doesn’t come with the abilities that guys like Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews, or Patrick Kane do, adding another injury on top of losses to Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland doesn’t do them any favors.
Guys like Jake Dowell and Bryan Bickell will need to step up and play a bigger game the rest of the way without Brouwer in the lineup. They’ve been the steady third line guys all season, but they’ll need them to play a little bigger now. Same goes for veteran Fernando Pisani as well. Pisani’s been through it before in 2006 with the Edmonton Oilers helping lead that team to the Stanley Cup final against Carolina. That kind of experience is invaluable at this time of year.
While you’d think the Blackhawks wouldn’t have too much of a hard time disposing of the Blues tonight and might be looking ahead to a pivotal two-game showdown with Detroit, never discount old Norris Division rivalries to flare up once again. The Blues season is finished but giving them a goal for a night to try and hurt a rival like Chicago’s playoff hopes and the scope of the game changes dramatically.
With both teams coming off of games last night, neither team comes in with a rest advantage. The Blues are buoyed by a win over Colorado and the confidence is high. If you’re the Chicago Blackhawks, you treat tonight’s game like a do-or-die.