St. Louis Blues Travel to Chicago to Face the Blackhawks

The St. Louis Blues will travel to the United Center on Sunday afternoon to take on the Chicago Blackhawks in a Central Division matchup. This will be the fourth and final regular-season game between one another as St. Louis has a 2-1 season series lead. The Blues are second in the Central Division (30-14-6, 66 points), while the Blackhawks are seventh in the Central Division (18-26-8, 44 points) so far this year. 

This should be an entertaining matchup with the combination of right winger Vladimir Tarasenko and goalie Jordan Binnington facing off against the combination of right winger Patrick Kane, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury should bring in a great game for the viewing masses. 

Not Playing the Blues Anymore

The offense of the St. Louis Blues has been doing extremely well as they are averaging 3.54 goals on 30.9 shots per game this season.

Right winger Vladimir Tarasenko has been leading the way for the franchise as he has recorded 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) this season and has scored five points in his previous three games. They have been phenomenal on the power play as the team is at 26.7 percent, which is second in the NHL right now. 

Goaltender Jordan Binnington has been struggling this season with the Blues as he is 12-10-3 while allowing 3.25 goals with a .900 save percentage thus far.

The defense as a whole are doing well as they are giving up 2.72 goals on 31.6 shot attempts against them per game. A huge reason for that success is the fact that they are fifth in the league with an 84.8 kill percentage, so they should be incredibly well here. 

Kane Leading the Charge

The offense provided by Chicago is struggling as they are scoring just 2.37 goals on 28.6 shot attempts per game.

A big reason for the offense they have been able to produce is the play of left winger Patrick Kane as he is tied for 12th in the sport in assists as he has scored 49 points (13 goals, 36 assists) while scoring five points in his previous four games. The Blackhawks have been a league-average 19.4 percent of scoring on the power play, so they need to step up here. 

The play from goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been down from what they expected this season as he is 16-18-4 while giving up 2.80 goals with a .912 save percentage so far. The defense as a whole has struggled as they are allowing 3.35 goals on 32 shot attempts.

They are struggling against power plays as their 75.2 percent is the fifth-lowest in the NHL, so they need to work on that if they want to be better in the remainder of the regular season. 

Which Side Should We Bet, Blues or Blackhawks?

These teams have played at two completely different levels this season, and the Blues are 2-1 in their games against the Blackhawks.

The difference is the offensive output for these teams, as the Blues are scoring 4.4 goals in their previous five games while the Blackhawks are averaging two games in that same stretch of games. These teams are going to showcase their talents, but Patrick Kane cannot score the puck, and that will be a huge problem here.

Chicago is 25-27 ATS this year while St. Louis is 29-21 ATS this year, so it seems to be the better option as well on that front.

All in all, go with the St. Louis Blues to cover the puck line on the road in this matchup.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.