The St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks meet in NHL action from the United Center on Saturday night. A Central division rivalry matchup from Chi-Town, who comes out with a much-needed win? Let’s dive in and give a Blues vs. Blackhawks Prediction.
St. Louis Blues Team Preview
The St. Louis Blues come into this game looking to bounce back from a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets last time out. Robert Thomas leads the Blues in scoring with 27 points including team-highs of 10 goals and 17 assists while Pavel Buchnevich has 20 points split between 9 goals and 11 assists. Jordan Kyrou has 17 points with 5 goals and 12 assists while Brayden Schenn has 16 points with 8 goals and 8 assists as well this season. Jordan Binnington’s gone 8-7-1 with a 2.99 GAA and a .912 save percentage between the pipes for St. Louis while Joel Hofer is 5-5 with a 3.19 GAA and a .893 save percentage this season.
St. Louis Blues Team Facts
- The Blues have won each of their last four games at United Center.
- The favorites have covered the puck line in each of the Blues’ last four games at United Center.
- The home team has won the first period in five of the Blues’ last six games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Blues’ last nine games against Central Division opponents.
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Chicago Blackhawks Team Preview
The Chicago Blackhawks come into this one looking to build on a 1-0 win over Anaheim in their last game. Connor Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 21 points including a team-high 11 goals along with a team-high 10 assists while Philipp Kurashev has 14 points with 5 goals and 9 assists. Jason Dickinson has 13 points with 8 goals and 5 assists and Nick Foligno has 12 points with 4 goals and 8 assists. Petr Mrazek has gone 6-8 with a 3.17GAA and an .907 save percentage in goal for the Blackhawks while Arvid Soderblom is 2-8-1 with a 3.62 GAA and an .884 save percentage this season.
Chicago Blackhawks Team Facts
- The Blackhawks have lost each of their last 13 games against Central Division opponents.
- The Blackhawks have failed to cover the puck line in 12 of their last 13 games against Central Division opponents.
- The Blackhawks have lost the third period in seven of their last eight night games following a win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Blackhawks’ last eight games following a win.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Chicago Blackhawks ranks 30th in the league for goals per game this season (2.40).
- The Chicago Blackhawks ranks 29th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.52).
- The St. Louis Blues ranks 31st in the league in power play percentage this season (9.09%).
- The St. Louis Blues ranks 26th in the league for goals per game this season (2.85).
Blues vs. Blackhawks Prediction
I’m backing the Blues here. The concern I have for Chicago is that they’re still scoring just 1 goal in 4 of their last 5 games despite the win against the Ducks the other night. St. Louis has scored just 2.4 goals per game in their last ten, but the Blues are likely to start Jordan Binnington here and he gives the Blues a significant edge in goal here. At a reasonable price, it’s hard to not like St. Louis here.
