Preview: Blues at Blackhawks

BLUES AT BLACKHAWKS

When: Wednesday, July 29 at 5:30 p.m. CT
Where: Rogers Place in Edmonton
Watch Local: FSMW Plus (Channel Numbers), FOX Sports GO
Watch National: NBC Sports Network (Joined in Progress), NHL Network
Listen: 101 ESPN, NHL App

It's been more than four months since hockey suddenly paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the wait for it to resume is finally over.

The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks will meet on Wednesday at Rogers Place in Edmonton - the site of all Western Conference games in the 24-team, two-hub city format.

Wednesday's game won't count - it's only an exhibition - but it will whet the appetites of fans who are anxious to see the Blues back in action as they pursue a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

"We know the rivalry we have with Chicago," said Blues defenseman Colton Parayko. "They're always intense games, they're always fun. I think just in general with where we're at here, it's going to be a good game no matter who we're going to play. It's going to be important for us to just learn from it."

BLUES The St. Louis Blues paused the regular season one day after a 4-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks on March 11. The game served as a make-up for an incident in February when defenseman Jay Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac episode.

With 71 games played, the Blues sat in first place in the Western Conference with a 42-19-10 record (94 points) at the pause.

After Wednesday's exhibition matchup, the Blues will play three round-robin games (Aug. 2 at Colorado, Aug. 6 vs. Vegas and Aug. 9 vs. Dallas) to determine their seeding for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"(This is) our only exhibition game before the real thing starts," Blues Head Coach Craig Berube said of Wednesday's matchup with Chicago. "We need to get our structure down and get after it. That's what I'm looking forward to."

BLACKHAWKS The Chicago Blackhawks were six points out of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference when the NHL season paused and were likely to miss out on a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup.

But the NHL's 24-team playoff format now gives them hope.

When the Stanley Cup Qualifiers begin, the Blackhawks will face the Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-5 series to determine who will reach the final field of 16.