St. Louis has already shown two very different versions of itself: a 4-0 win in Dallas and a 6-1 loss in Colorado. Which attack turns up Tuesday against Chicago is the most interesting question for a Blues team favored on the road. The Blackhawks are 0-3, but their home opener brings Patrick Kane back to the United Center—and our projections suggest St. Louis may have only a small edge in shot volume.
A rebound opportunity, not an automatic reset
The Blues couldn’t build on their opening shutout. Colorado scored four times in the second period of Saturday’s 6-1 loss, leaving St. Louis with an encouraging first result and a rough second one, rather than much evidence of a settled early-season identity.
Our grades give the Blues their clearest advantage on the defensive side: a B- compared with Chicago’s C-. The attacking grades are less flattering for both teams, with St. Louis at D and Chicago at D-. That makes the Blues’ ability to generate sustained pressure worth watching. Their stronger defensive evaluation is a useful starting point, but the attack still has something to prove.
Chicago has more to work with than its record suggests
The Blackhawks’ latest loss wasn’t a game in which they never threatened. Chicago led Buffalo 2-0 and carried a 3-2 advantage into the third period before losing 4-3 on Saturday. Producing another lead would give Chicago a plausible route to its first win; protecting it is the part that needs to improve.
Kane’s first regular-season home game back with the Blackhawks adds a distinct backdrop. Chicago will be without winger Andrew Mangiapane, who is out with a lower-body injury. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday that Mangiapane is week-to-week. Frank Nazar and Kane are among the forwards to watch as the Blackhawks try to turn a promising stretch into a complete game.
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What the favorite’s price asks of St. Louis
DraftKings’ moneyline odds have St. Louis at -142 and Chicago at +120—the market for winning outright. The Blues’ stronger grades fit their favorite status, but our shot projections offer a meaningful counterweight: about 26 for St. Louis and 25 for Chicago. That’s a narrow gap in expected volume, leaving finishing and goaltending with plenty of room to shape the result.
The strongest case for St. Louis is its defensive advantage against a winless opponent. The hesitation is an attack that followed four goals with just one, alongside a Chicago team that recently put itself in position to win. With little separating their expected shot totals, the Blues need productive pressure, not just a slight volume advantage. How well they finish that pressure is the factor that matters most to their scoring rebound.
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