Game Preview : The IceHogs Commeth
Chicago Blackhawks (77 pts 36-6-5) @ St Louis Blues (58 pts 28-17-2)7 pm Scottrade Center - St Louis, MO TV: WGNRadio: 97.9 FM The Loop
Season Series
| Date | Score | W. Goal |
| Apr 27 '13 | ||
| Apr 14 '13 | CHI 2 at STL 0 | B. Bickell |
| Apr 04 '13 | STL 4 at CHI 3 - SO | K. Shattenkirk |
| Feb 28 '13 | CHI 3 at STL 0 | J. Toews |
| Jan 22 '13 | STL 2 at CHI 3 | V. Stalberg |
Tonight's game between the Hawks and Blues should be a ton of fun. First and foremost, I am going to head down to the Galway Bay for GONNA DRINKEN 2 with the Hockee Night crew. Second, with the mystery surrounding who is going to play we could see some crazy shit tonight. We do know that Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Dave Bolland, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Ray Emery did not make the trip today. Jimmy Hayes, Jeremy Morin, Brandon Pirri, Ben Smith, Adam Clendening, Shawn Lalonde, Steve Montador, Ryan Stanton and Henrik Karlsson were all called up from Rockford and should be dressing tonight. I am sure we will also see Drew LeBlanc in the lineup again. This is a good thing because this kid just dripping with TWTW, and we need that to win the Cup! Carter Hutton is going to make his first career NHL start tonight as well.
By the end of tonight we will know exactly who we will be playing in the first round of the playoffs next week. The Wild need to beat the Avalanche tonight to clinch a spot after being destroyed at home by the Oilers last night. The Blue Jackets are hosting the Predators and the Red Wings travel to take on the Stars tonight. A win for Detroit and they will be the 7th seed. If Minnesota wins in regulation or overtime, they'll be the 8th seed. Columbus needs a Minnesota loss in regulation and at least one point to clinch the 8th spot. The Blues are playing for home ice in the first round. With a win tonight they will host the winner of tonight's Sharks and Kings game in their opening round playoff series. If they lose in regulation they will be the 5th seed.
Probable Blackhawks Lineup
Goaltender
Carter Hutton (1st career start)
Injuries
Dave Bolland (lower body) OUT, Ray Emery (lower body) OUT
Leading Scorers
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW |
| P. Kane | 47 | 23 | 32 | 55 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| J. Toews | 47 | 23 | 25 | 48 | 28 | 27 | 2 | 5 |
| M. Hossa | 40 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 6 |
| B. Saad | 46 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| D. Keith | 47 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 16 | 31 | 2 | 0 |
Probable Blue Lineup
Forwards
Jaden Schwartz - David Backes - Alex Steen
Andy McDonald - Vladimir Sobotka - Chris Stewart
David Perron - Patrik Berglund - Vladimir Tarasenko
Adam Cracknell - Chris Porter - Ryan Reaves
Defensive Pairings
Jay Bouwmeester - Alex Pietrangelo
Jordan Leopold - Kevin Shattenkirk
Kris Russell - Roman Polak
Goaltender
Brian Elliot 13-8-1, 2.34 GAA, .905 save %, 3 SO
Injuries
T.J. Oshie (ankle) OUT, Scott Nichol (lower body) OUT, Barret Jackman (ankle) questionable
Leading Scorers
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW |
| C. Stewart | 47 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 1 | 40 | 6 | 3 |
| A. Steen | 39 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 3 |
| D. Backes | 47 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 3 | 62 | 1 | 1 |
| D. Perron | 47 | 10 | 15 | 25 | -1 | 44 | 2 | 2 |
| P. Berglund | 47 | 16 | 8 | 24 | -3 | 12 | 5 | 3 |
| HAWKS | CATEGORY | BLUES |
| 47 | GP | 47 |
| 36 | W | 28 |
| 6 | L | 17 |
| 5 | OT | 2 |
| 77 | P | 58 |
| 0.819 | P% | 0.617 |
| 3.15 | G/G | 2.57 |
| 2 | GA/G | 2.4 |
| 16.9 | PP% | 19.7 |
| 87 | PK% | 84.5 |
| 31.3 | S/G | 27.8 |
| 26.2 | SA/G | 24.2 |
| 50.9 | FO% | 50.6 |
