St Louis Blues v Chicago Blackhawks Live

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Four months into the season, things are certainly looking good for the Hawks as they managed to establish themselves in the upper echelon of the Western Conference, just one point behind the leading San Jose Sharks. Looking for another win, Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks will face the St Louis Blues at United Center on Thursday at 1:30 a.m. GMT.

Albeit the Blues did not improve as much as the franchise’s front-office was hoping prior to this year’s NHL campaign, St Louis is still in striking distance of a playoff spot and has been playing much better hockey as of late. More precisely, Keith Tkachuk and company recorded a decent 6-3-1 record in their last ten games and are trailing the eight seeded Calgary Flames by only four points. That said, the Blues will have to keep up their level of play to have a legitimate shot at a post-season appearance. Most importantly, their defensive efforts left much to be desired as St Louis allowed nearly 2.8 goals per contest thus far.

The Blackhawks on the other hand have much higher goals in mind than merely making it to the playoffs in 2009-10. In fact, Chicago is still in the race for the number one seed in the Western Conference and could very well turn out to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Over the past month, the Hawks managed to get some separation and extended their lead over the third placed Vancouver Canucks to no less than 10 points. Unlike other elite teams, Chicago benefits from a fairly even offensive output across the board, making things even more difficult for their opponents. In conclusion, the Blackhawks will most likely have an edge in their match-up with the Blues on Thursday, yet Patrick Kane and company should not underestimate the franchise from Missouri. After all, St Louis improved considerably over the last month and is very capable of finding the net on most nights.