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Game 26 Preview And Open Thread: Blackhawks @ Blues

Puck Drop: Dec. 1, 7:30 PM CST


Chicago Blackhawks
Record: 14-9-2
Points: 30
Place: 2nd in Central, t-4th in Western Conference
Power Play Percentage/Rank: 20.2%, 3rd in West, t-8th in NHL
Penalty Kill Percentage/Rank: 83.7%, 7th in West, 11th in NHL
Blackhawks Team Statistics

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St. Louis Blues
Record: 14-8-1
Points: 29
Place: 3rd in Central, 6th in Western Conference
Power Play Percentage/Rank: 13.9%, 11th in West, 25th in NHL
Penalty Kill Percentage/Rank: 89.6%, 2nd in West, 2nd in NHL
Blues Team Statistics

Hawks Lineup:

Offense
1st line: LW Ruutu – C Lang – RW Havlat
2nd line: LW Sharp – C Toews – RW Kane
3rd line: LW Burish – C Perreault – RW Samsonov
4th line: LW Koci – C Fraser – RW Lapointe
Defense
1st pairing: Keith/Seabrook
2nd pairing: Zyuzin/Sopel
3rd pairing: Vandermeer/Byfuglien
Goalie
Lalime

Scratches: Johansson (Healthy), Williams (Groin), Wisniewski (Concussion)
Injured Reserve: Bourque, Adams, Dowell

The Hawks are 2-1 against the Blues this year. They last played St. Louis on November 9th, at home, and beat the Blues 4-2. Prior to that, the two teams met in St. Louis on November 3rd, with the Hawks coming out on top by a score of 3-2. Their first meeting of the year ended in a 3-1 victory for the Blues on October 17th.

It’s the same lineup as last night for the Blackhawks in this one, except for the fact that Patrick Lalime will be playing to give Nikolai Khabibulin the night off. Otherwise, the lines have been kept the exact same, which is a good idea for Denis Savard.

Should be exciting, as just one point separates these teams in the standings, and both are experiencing a resurgence this year, after struggling for the past few seasons.

The Hawks need to keep an eye on Brad Boyes of St. Louis, who has 15 goals this year, leading his team and putting him 7th in the NHL. They’ll have to keep him in check if they want to come out with a win tonight.

Talking Points