The Blackhawks will host the Blues on Wednesday night at the United Center, with puck drop set for 9:30 p.m. ET. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Chicago is a +100 home underdog on the Moneyline, and the game’s total is set at O/U 5.5 goals. Between the pipes, Spencer Knight will start for the Blackhawks, while the Blues have yet to confirm the starter between Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington.
Below, I’ll provide a preview, prediction and pick for Wednesday’s tilt between the Blackhawks and Blues.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues prediction, preview
Blackhawks preview
The Blackhawks are riding a three-game win streak and will look to correct their most recent loss to the Blues back in December. Granted, each of Chicago’s past two wins required overtime or a shootout, but a win is a win, right? The club is still without both Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, who rank first and fourth on the team in points, respectively. Both Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky have stepped up in their absences, totaling eight and seven points, respectively, across the last 10 games. For reference, Bedard has been sidelined for the Blackhawks’ past 12 games, and he still leads the team in points across the last 10 games. Not great, Bob!
Chicago ranks 26th in goals for per 60, with that ranking slightly increasing to 22nd when playing at 5v5. The special teams have been surprisingly very consistent, with the club ranking 12th in PP% and fourth in PK%. Spencer Knight has been the club’s saving grace, despite a few uncharacteristic starts this season. Among 86 eligible goaltenders, Knight ranks 14th in goals saved above expected and 26th in SV% above expected.
Blues preview
St. Louis enters Wednesday having won back-to-back games after dropping four of its previous six games. Goaltending, paired with a lack of consistent offensive production, has plagued this club all season long, primarily the goaltending. The Blues are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, while averaging 2.3 goals per game and allowing 2.8 goals per game. During this span, the leading point-getters, Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, have each totaled just seven points. That is simply not good enough to win games.
The Blues rank dead last in goals for per 60, 27th in xGoals% and 28th in Corsi%. The club also ranks inside the bottom half of the league in both PP% and PK%. On top of the clear offensive and special teams’ woes, St. Louis has also allowed the fifth-most goals against per 60. Jordan Binnington logged the start for St. Louis in its last game, and he logged his first shutout of the season. He may start again, given the Blues’ multiple days of rest, but Joel Hofer has been the better season-long option. For comparison, Binnington ranks second-to-last in goals saved above expected, compared to Hofer, who ranks 63rd in the same category. All in all, they’re both inconsistent and a big reason for the club’s struggles.
Blackhawks vs. Blues pick, best bet
To be honest, both of these teams are hard to back. While they’re both riding win streaks, they struggle to both score and prevent goals. What I do know is that I most certainly prefer Knight over either Hofer or Binnington. St. Louis is 7-9-3 on the road, while Chicago is 9-8-4 at the United Center.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, 67% of the handle and 56% of the bets lie with the Blackhawks as a plus-money home dog. Additionally, 80% of the handle and 71% of the bets lie with the OVER on the 5.5 goal total. I feel comfortable backing both of these bets, but I prefer the value of a home dog with better goaltending.
