St. Louis Blues Attempt to Lock Up Home Ice vs. Chicago Blackhawks
The St. Louis Blues will look to lock up home ice for the first round of the postseason as they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
The St. Louis Blues host their fierce rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, for the final time this regular season on Thursday night. Though both teams have playoff spots locked up already, the Blues have the opportunity to lock up home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs with a win or an overtime loss against Chicago.
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That’s not exactly significant, considering that the Blues have earned home ice advantage in each of the past three years but have still lost in the first round, but it’s always a nice accomplishment nonetheless.
Perhaps the better accomplishment for the Blues would be defeating a team that they’re likely to face in the first round of the postseason. The Blues are currently tied for first place with the Dallas Stars, but they’re in position to lose the tiebreaker for the number one seed, so if they end up in second, they’ll be playing the third-place Blackhawks. Neither scenario is exactly ideal for the Blues, as they’ve lost two games each to both the Blackhawks and the presumptive 8-seed Minnesota Wild, but a win over Chicago heading into a first-round series next week would be a definite momentum builder.
The Blues and Blackhawks are even at two wins a piece this season, with each team having won a game on each other’s home ice. Both of the Blues’ wins have come after the end of regulation, but they’ve won the most recent game in the series, a 3-2 shootout win that came on March 9.
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The Blues’ lineup could feature forward Robby Fabbri and/or defenseman Jay Bouwmeester on Thursday, depending on the progress of their respective recoveries from injuries. If Fabbri and Bouwmeester play, they would likely bump Magnus Paajarvi and Robert Bortuzzo from the lineup. Since Ken Hitchcock has usually opted for a more finesse lineup against Chicago this season, though, it’s also possible that both Paajarvi and Dmitrij Jaskin could stay in the lineup, with Ryan Reaves serving as a healthy scratch.
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Here’s what the lineup could look like against the Blackhawks:
Alexander Steen–Jori Lehtera–Vladimir Tarasenko
Jaden Schwartz–Patrik Berglund–Dmitrij Jaskin
Magnus Paajarvi–Paul Stastny–Troy Brouwer
Scottie Upshall–Kyle Brodziak–Ryan Reaves
Joel Edmundson–Alex Pietrangelo
Jay Bouwmeester–Kevin Shattenkirk