Preview: Blues vs. Blackhawks

BLUES VS. BLACKHAWKS

TEAM SNAPSHOTS

BLUESIt was a thrilling night at Enterprise Center last time the St. Louis Blues took on the Chicago Blackhawks at home. The Blues came out on top in the Oct. 30 matchup, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from Torey Krug with 13 minutes left in regulation.
The Blues will need that type of energy in the clutch again on Saturday, looking to bounce back from a disappointing 7-4 loss to New Jersey on Thursday night.
Taking a 3-2 lead into the third period, the Blues lost some of their composure and gave up five goals - two empty-netters - in the third as the game slipped away.
"We can't let that happen," said Brayden Schenn of the blown lead. "There's too many chances we give up, we're not tight enough defensively to close the game out. Obviously way too loose, and that's what happens. Teams are good, players are good with a lot of skill, and they're gonna find ways to score if you're not gonna tighten up defensively."
Schenn had two goals in the loss, bringing his season total to 12 alongside his 11 assists in 29 games played. Klim Kostin and Justin Faulk also added goals, with Krug recording two assists.
After Saturday's matchup, the team will hit the road for a four-game trip, which includes stops in Ottawa, Montreal and Philadelphia. The trip will provide a good chance for the Blues to regain their footing and build some road momentum as the second half of the year gets underway.
The Blues go into Saturday's game with a record of 26-14-5, worth 57 points and fourth place in the Central Division.

BLACKHAWKSThe Chicago Blackhawks will arrive at Enterprise Center fresh off a road win against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Coming out on top 4-1, Wednesday night's win ended a three-game skid for Chicago and an eight-game stretch with a record of 1-5-2.
The Oilers parted ways with Head Coach Dave Tippett on Thursday morning following the game, announcing Jay Woodcroft as the team's head coach for the rest of the season.
Forward Alex DeBrincat, the Blackhawks' representative at All-Star Weekend, led the way with three points. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had an outstanding night between the pipes, making 40 saves in the winning effort.
"I think we came ready to play," said DeBrincat. "Played simple right off the bat, got it in deep and went to work."
The matchup on Saturday will be the second in a three-game road trip for the Blackhawks, who will travel to Winnipeg on Monday before a six-game homestand.
Chicago is currently in seventh place in the Central Division, with a record of 17-23-7 on the season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD Both games between the Blues and the Blackhawks this season were tight battles. After their regulation victory on Oct. 30, the Blues fell 3-2 in overtime in Chicago on Nov. 26 for a 1-0-1 matchup record.
The teams will wrap up their season series with another game in Chicago on Feb. 27.

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PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUESBrayden Schenn has been red hot since his return from injury, recording 11 of his 23 points on the season over his last six games. The 30-year-old forward has 18 career points in 22 games against Chicago.
BLACKHAWKS Alex DeBrincat, whose three points in Edmonton brought his total to 39 on the season. DeBrincat leads the team by a wide margin with 27 goals on the season, and scored the OT winner in the last matchup with St. Louis.

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BLUE NOTES

The Blues are 5-0-2 against the Blackhawks in their last seven games, winning five straight before the Nov. 26 OT loss... At the time of the Blues' schedule break (Jan. 29), the Blues and Florida Panthers were the only teams to feature at least five different players with 15 or more goals this season (Jordan Kyrou, Vladimir Tarasenko, Brandon Saad, Pavel Buchnevich, Ivan Barbashev) - The Blues only had four 15-goal scorers last season, all different from this year's bunch (Ryan O'Reilly, David Perron, Mike Hoffman, Schenn)... Ville Husso leads all goaltenders (min. 10 games) with a .941 SV% this season. At home (7-1-0), his 1.80 goals-against average and .941 save-percentage both rank second among all goaltenders (minimum five games).