Western Conference Quarterfinal
(C2) St. Louis Blues vs. (C3) Chicago Blackhawks
Season series: Blues won 3-2-0.
They have a history: This will mark the 11th playoff meeting between the division rivals. Chicago holds a 7-3 all-time series lead over St. Louis. The two last met in the 2002 Western Conference quarter-finals, where the Blues won the series 4-1. Two of their five games this year ended with a shootout.
For the Blues to win: Despite finishing fifth in the West in scoring during the regular season, the Blues have struggled to score consistently in post-season play under Ken Hitchcock. That much was evident during the team’s first-round loss to the Los Angeles Kings last year. In 2013-14, the Blues had five players surpass the 20-goal mark and will need key contributions from all four lines to match the explosive offence of the Blackhawks. If so, they’ll be able to make a deep run. The rest of St. Louis’s roster is perfectly built for post-season play. They have an elite defensive corps and an experienced playoff netminder in Ryan Miller. As is almost always the case, Hitchcock’s team ranks among the league leaders in goals against.
Best Blues storyline: Even after posting the highest win total in franchise history, the Blues have significant injury concerns heading into the playoffs. Especially up front where T.J. Oshie, David Backes, Patrick Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka were all banged up towards the final week of the regular season. Oshie and Berglund will not play in Game 1 but the team will welcome back forward Vladimir Tarasenko to the lineup.
Leading scorer: Alexander Steen, 62 points (3 goals, 29 assists)
Game 1 starter: Ryan Miller, 10-8-1, 2.47 goals-against average, .903 save percentage
For the Blackhawks to win: Chicago needs Toews and Kane to perform at a high level. Without their two front-line forwards, the Blackhawks were not nearly as effective. Chicago went 5-5 in its final 10 games, which included consecutive losses to end the season. Having Toews and Kane healthy gives them a much more balanced lineup – which is crucial against a defensive group as strong as St. Louis’s. The Blackhawks especially need strong goaltending from Corey Crawford, who was very solid in last year’s Cup run. The Blues were completely stymied by Jonathan Quick in last year’s playoffs.
Best Blackhawks storyline: Can Chicago repeat? The Blachawks have essentially the same roster that won the Stanley Cup last season and saw internal improvements from young players such as Nick Leddy, Brandon Saad, and Andrew Shaw. Former Blackhawk Kris Versteeg was brought back to add experience as well. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were out with injuries at the end of the regular season, but both will be ready for Game 1. No one has repeated since Detroit in 1997-98.
Leading scorer: Patrick Sharp, 78 points (34 goals, 44 assists)
Game 1 starter: Corey Crawford, 32-16-10, 2.26 goals-against average, .917 save percentage
Matchup to watch: Miller versus the Chicago fire power. The Blues are banking big on their newly acquired goalie in this series. As mentioned above, the Blues have had trouble scoring in the past and may need to rely on their goaltending if their offence can’t end its recent skid. Miller will be going up against an high-powered offence that features the likes of Kane, Toews, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa. The American netminder has a playoff record of 25-22 with three shutouts in n 47 starts.
Big question: Which St. Louis team will show up? The Blues were the top team in the West for the majority of the regular season before faltering down the stretch. St Louis lost six straight games to end the season and did not score a goal in its final two games. The late-season slump caused St. Louis to fall out of first place in the Central Division.
Best bet: Blackhawks in seven.
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