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St. Louis Blues Look to Go Up 2-0 Over Chicago Blackhawks on Friday

By Patrick Karraker

Apr 13, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center David Backes (42) celebrates scoring the game winning goal in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks in game one of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The St. Louis Blues defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center David Backes (42) celebrates scoring the game winning goal in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks in game one of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The St. Louis Blues defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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After their fourth overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks this season in Game 1 of their first-round postseason series, the St. Louis Blues will look to pick up another home win on Friday.

After David Backes‘s clutch overtime goal finally ended an otherwise goalless affair just over 69 minutes into Wednesday’s Game 1, the St. Louis Blues will hope for a bit more offense on Friday as they try to increase their series lead to 2-0. Despite their positive track record as of late with getting pucks on net, the Blues struggled to penetrate the Blackhawks’ aggressive defense on Wednesday, registering just 18 shots on goal, compared to the Hawks’ 35.

Perhaps after getting roughly 70 minutes of exposure to Chicago’s style on Wednesday, the Blues will figure out how to better utilize offensive playmakers like Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen in Game 2. That will be necessary if they want to create an offensive attack against Chicago, as the Blackhawks will welcome back star defenseman Duncan Keith from a six-game suspension for brutalizing Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle with his stick just over two weeks ago.

Friday will be yet another test of the two aggressive teams’ durability, as they’ll attempt to remain quick and physical even as they stage what’s expected to be another absolutely brutal battle, especially with Keith re-entering the lineup. Check out the following slides to see what Friday’s lineups are expected to look like:

Next: Blues Lineup

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