Chicago and St. Louis have been at each other’s throats since the Blues arrived in the NHL in 1967. Now they’re both favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They’ll face each other on Rivalry Night at 8 p.m. on NBCSN. You also can watch it via NBC Sports Live Extra.
One thing you can count on when the Blackhawks and Blues face off is a game played with a lot of angst. With the Detroit Red Wings off in the Eastern Conference, these two teams are now the rivals who’ll battle to take the Central Division year in and year out.
This season, they’re both teams who are considered to be favorites to win the Stanley Cup. That should only help step up the hostilities.
St. Louis has seen their season get off to a roaring start going 2-0-0 and outscoring opponents 11-2 in those games. Their defense led by Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester is as good as advertised. Jaroslav Halak’s play in goal has also been outstanding. What’s most surprising is the offensive output.
Goal scoring was thought to again be an issue for the Blues, but early on they’re showing it’s the least of their problems. Five players have three points already and another five more have two. Only Alex Steen has more than one goal, he’s got two, and the rest of the offense comes in waves.
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That should all be a lot for Chicago to handle, but if there’s a team capable of it, it’s them. The Blackhawks’ offense hasn’t been nearly as prolific as the Blues to start, but Brandon Saad is off to a roaring start with two goals and two assists in their two games. Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has been a setup man with three assists and Patrick Kane has two goals.
The one guy who needs to improve is Corey Crawford. In his two starts he’s given up six goals in 48 shots. The save percentage and goals-against average aren’t much to write home about, but if there’s a team he can figure it out against it’s the Blues. In his career, Crawford has gone 9-1-2 against St. Louis. The only team he has a better record against is Detroit.
That should set the table nicely for tonight’s tilt from Scottrade Center in St. Louis.