When:8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Where:Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Preview: Blackhawks at Blues
Gracenote
Oct 17, 2017
A trip to the Sunshine State cast a dark cloud on began as a positive start to the season for the St. Louis Blues. The potential return of Alex Steen could provide just the jolt needed to shock the Blues from their doldrums on Wednesday when they return for a brief pit stop at home against the Chicago Blackhawks.
"He looked good," St. Louis coach Mike Yeo said of Steen, who has been sidelined since breaking his hand in the preseason. "He's obviously a big part of our group, a big part of the leadership and then you think about all the intangibles that he brings, special teams, leadership, offensively, defensively, he's a key guy for us, so we're anxious to get him back." Yeo will decide on Steen's availability following Wednesday's morning skate for the Blues, who have mustered just three goals in back-to-back losses to Florida and Tampa Bay. Chicago expects to welcome the return of forward Nick Schmaltz from a four-game absence due to a head injury, much to the delight of Patrick Kane. "With us, we were playing together for about a month there, so you really get used to playing with certain guys and certain linemates," Kane said. "While he was gone I wasn't very good, so it'll be nice to have him back."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NHL.TV, NBCSN
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (4-1-1): Brandon Saad has welcomed his second stint in the Windy City with open arms, following up his season-opening hat trick with five more points - including his team-leading sixth goal in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over Nashville. The 24-year-old has netted the game-winning tally in all four Chicago victories this season and looks to build off a two-assist performance in his last encounter versus St. Louis. Corey Crawford hasn't needed much offense this season as the veteran netminder has allowed just one goal in four of his five starts this season to improve his save percentage to a sterling .960.
ABOUT THE BLUES (4-2-0): Vladimir Tarasenko scored his team-leading fourth goal in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Lightning, giving him 14 tallies in his last 20 career meetings (regular season and playoffs) versus the Blackhawks. The Russian joins fellow 25-year-old Jaden Schwartz with points in five of six games this season, with the latter recording multi-point performances in three of those outings. Captain Alex Pietrangelo has matched Schwartz with a team-leading eight points (two goals, six assists) in six games this season, but the former has 14 (four goals, 10 assists) in his last 10 dating to 2016-17.
OVERTIME
1. Chicago LW Ryan Hartman is tied for the team lead with eight points (two goals, six assists), but has just two (one goal, one assist) in six career encounters with St. Louis.
2. The Blues recorded at least a point in four of six games (3-2-1) last season versus the Blackhawks and thwarted 15 of 17 short-handed attempts.
3. Analyst Ed Olczyk, who is six weeks into a 24-week chemotherapy regimen as he battles colon cancer, will make his return to the NBCSN broadcast.
PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Blues 2