After much debate over whether or not the ice would be playable given the weather conditions, the Winter Classic is reportedly good to go. The show must go on.
The game must go at least two periods for it to be an official contest. If the game has to be called due to rain, they will give it another shot tomorrow. And- this is the best part- if the game is unplayable after the 40 minute mark in regulation, a shootout will be held at the United Center on February 26th before their next game.
That is wacky. Can you imagine spending all that money on a ticket and having it last two periods? What if the game is not tied after two periods? If the Blues lead 5-1 say, they still have to go through a shootout? What kind of madness is that?
But I digress. Cross that bridge when we get to it.
For now, the game is scheduled to start at 1 PM Eastern Standard Time as originally intended. We will see if the rain will hold off.
St. Louis is favored at -125 with the Hawks set at +105. The over/under is set at 5.
The Chicago Blackhawks closed out 2016 with a 1-4 record in their final five games. Their lone win was on the front-end of a back-to-back in Nashville. They lost the following night’s game in Carolina 3-2.
This is the fourth year in a row that the Blackhawks will be involved with an outdoor game, and their third time involved in the Winter Classic. They have lost both Winter Classics and are 1-1 in the Stadium Series games. Their last venture outside was a 6-1 drumming at the hands of the Minnesota Wild in the State of Hockey.
Naturally, this is the first outdoor game for St. Louis. And given the hubbub over the weather, you can see why it’s their first time hosting.
Chicago has won four of their last five road games, for what it’s worth.
The St. Louis Blues were silent in their final game of 2016, getting handed a shutout by the Nashville Predators. The Blues had a turbulent December that nearly undid all that their hot November accomplished. They are currently in third place in the Central Division, holding a four-point lead over the Dallas Stars.
St. Louis is 14-3-4 at home this season. The ice conditions are going to be so bad today that I do not figure home advantage to be much of a difference maker. Given the turnout for the alumni game on New Year’s Eve, I am excited about the crowd makeup though.
Jake Allen will get the start in net for the Blues. Corey Crawford is probable for the Blackhawks. There is not as much mystery surrounding the goaltender situation as there was for the Red Wings yesterday. The Blues will need stability out of Jake Allen, however. Allen is 11-2-2 at home, yes, but he was just 5-6-0 overall in the month of December with an .892 save percentage.
Ken Hitchcock informed reporters yesterday that Jaden Schwartz and Nail Yakupov both missed practice Sunday with an illness, but were hopeful to return to the lineup for today’s game. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and not make a crack about having an “illness” New Year’s Day since the flu bug has been going around the NHL.
Two more assists will give Duncan Keith 400 in his career. I am very interested to see if the ice is clear enough to allow the open style of play the Blackhawks have. What kind of creativity can the Hawks have playing on slush? Two assists tonight is not undoable for the veteran blueliner, but it may be harder than usual.
Chicago has taken two of the three meetings with St. Louis so far this year, one coming in overtime. The most recent encounter was a 6-4 victory in St. Louis.
Yesterday’s outdoor game was boring for a lot of reasons. The first two periods were two non-playoff teams who had not played each other yet this year generating very little offense and struggling to move the puck north-to-south. I don’t quite know what it was in the third period, but the ice got tilted. As soon as the Leafs tied the game, their young forwards took over. Maybe it was just the confidence of scoring once that did it, maybe it was the Matt Martin fight (it totally wasn’t but throw the old-school crowd a bone), but guys like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner all of a sudden came to life and took over.
That is basically what needs to happen in this game.
Throw systems out the window. Take chances, make mistakes, get messy. Yes I just quoted “The Magic Schoolbus,” I don’t care. These conditions are going to be so rotten. The novelty of an outdoor game is already old in 2017 since there was one literally less than 24 hours ago. Nobody cares about Chicago being in their 100th outdoor game.
Just let Vladimir Tarasenko and company take on Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov and see what happens. Matter of fact, only let the Russians play. They’re more fun.
Pray for pond hockey risk-taking. I’m praying that will add some excitement to what I fear may be a dull game.
Prediction: Take the Blues to win for spite. Play the under. Outdoor games are hard enough to score in, but with the slush and the rain, don’t expect much.
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