It's win or go home as the Blackhawks visit the Blues in St. Louis for a deciding Game 7 as part of their Round 1 Stanley Cup playoff series live Monday night from the Scottrade Center.
St. Louis has had series leads of 1-0, 2-1, 3-1 and 3-2, but are now forced to try and win one final game to oust the pesky reigning Stanley Cup champions. En route to its three titles in the last six years, Chicago has been a tough out.
The Blues are looking to win their first series since 2012 and break the unsettling trend of exiting in the first round, which they have done in the last three seasons. The Blackhawks haven't been eliminated in the opening round since 2012, and have won two straight games to force this pivotal Game 7 and erase a 3-1 deficit.
After St. Louis took a commanding 3-1 series lead with a 4-3 victory in Game 4, Chicago won a thrilling double overtime road game, 4-3, due to a Patrick Kane goal and then stayed alive on home ice with a 6-3 victory in Game 6 on Saturday. Game 6 was the only contest of this series to be decided by more than one goal. The winner will meet the Stars in Round 2.
"We definitely have the momentum on our side, that's for sure, and we're going to try and keep it all night long," defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said via NHL.com. "Hopefully we can go out and have a good start."
Kane and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews have only one goal between them this postseason, but they've proven they have a championship pedigree. Kane does have six assists and is tied with rookie Artemi Panarin (two goals, five assists) for a team-high seven points, while Toews has five helpers.
For the Blues, Alex Pietrangelo (one goal, five assists), Jaden Schwartz (three tallies, three helpers) and Tarasenko (four goals, two assists) are each averaging a point per game.
Tarasenko appeared angry with coach Ken Hitchcock in Game 6, but the bench boss downplayed it.
"I don't think it's ice-time related," Hitchcock told NHL.com. "I think he felt like he could have helped on that power play. We didn't get a change on the power play because we had the thing in the [offensive zone] all the time, so ... that's what happens when you've got a guy like that [who] wants to make a difference. I love it, I love it in him."
In the crease, two-time Stanley Cup champion Corey Crawford suits up for Chicago and has a 2.46 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in this series. St. Louis counters with Brian Elliott, who owns a 2.46 GAA and a .928 save percentage in this series.
Game Preview & Live Stream
Details: Blackhawks at Blues Game 7
Venue: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. CT).
Radio: Chicago (WGN 720); St. Louis (KMOX 1120).
Series: Tied 3-3.
Prediction: Our predictions for this series can be found here. For our keys to Game 7, look here.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
