NHL Picks: Blackhawks rebound against Wings
Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for all the day’s games.
St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks, 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network
The Blackhawks and Blues have seen their rivalry’s intensity ebb and flow over decades, but over the last three or four years, it seems to be at one of its highest points. There’s no love lost between the two sides and that tends to make for heated, entertaining games.
The two sides have played two thrilling games so far this season, with St. Louis earning a 6-5 win in overtime of the first meeting and Chicago returning the favor with a 4-2 victory in St. Louis. The road team has won both games so far, but they also haven’t met since November. Both sides have evolved quite a bit over the last few months.
The Blackhawks are coming off of a pair of losses to the NHL’s Florida teams. Chicago scored just one goal over the two-game set, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning and losing 4-1 to the Florida Panthers. It was a little humbling after Chicago had rattled off a franchise-record 12 straight victories. The club has still won 15 of their last 19 games and now return to home ice where they’ve been among the league’s best with a 20-5-1 record. Following a day off, some home cooking might be what they need after the disappointing losses.
The Blues are also coming off of a defeat. They lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Colorado Avalanche after leading 1-0 heading into the final minute of regulation Friday night. It was the kind of loss St. Louis has become a little too familiar with this year, as they’ve had a harder time closing out close games. That said, they’re in one of their better stretches of the season having won five of their last seven games. The Blues trail first-place Chicago by just four points and could leap-frog the Dallas Stars for second with a win at the United Center. As far as the standings go, this is a big game.
This contest is also going to feature some of the most productive players in the league currently. There will be four players who sit inside the top 20 in league scoring in the game. Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane has opened up a gigantic 15-point lead on the field for the NHL scoring race with 72 points. His 30 goals and 42 assists also top both categories. Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko ranks ninth in the league with 46 points and is tied for fourth in the league with 25 goals this season. Blackhawks rookie Artemi Panarin is tied for 11th in the NHL overall and leads all first-year players with 45 points. Lastly, Alexander Steen is 16th in the NHL with 42 points. Both Kane and Panarin are on the same line, but the Blues have their top two scorers spread out, which makes them even tougher to match up against.
In a game with this much firepower, it could come down to which goaltender has the better night. Both Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis have been excellent lately. Elliott has been giving the Blues a chance to win just about every game he plays since Jake Allen went down with an injury two weeks ago. Elliott has a 6-1-1 record and a .944 save percentage in Allen’s absence. Meanwhile, Crawford lost for the first time in nearly a month Thursday night in Tampa. He’s still having a career year with a 27-11-2 record, .931 save percentage, 2.13 goals-against average and a league-leading six shutouts.
With this rivalry, it seems that anything can happen, but the Blues may be catching Chicago at a bad time. The Blackhawks have just one goal over their last two games. It’s extremely rare that they score below two in a game as it is and throughout the year, they’ve been pretty resilient having lost three straight just once this year. They’re not an offense you can keep down long. Look for the Blackhawks to return home with a little more jump in their scoring attack, which will end up being just enough to squeak past their Central rivals. Pick: Blackhawks 4, Blues 3
The Blackhawks and Blues clash for the third time this season on Sunday. (USATSI)
The rest of Sunday’s Picks
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals – Postponed
New York Rangers 4, Ottawa Senators 2
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Calgary Flames 2
Los Angeles Kings 3, San Jose Sharks 1
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