Game 2: BLACKHAWKS at BLUES
Western Conference First Round
St. Louis leads best-of-7 series 1-0
TV: 8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports 2, CSN-CH, FS-MW
It didn't take long for body checks and physicality to grab center stage in this Western Conference First Round series between Central Division rivals.
The St. Louis Blues were credited with 41 hits against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1-0 overtime win that started the series at Scottrade Center on Wednesday, had 57 by their count, and that still wasn't enough for coach Ken Hitchcock.
Hitchcock said after Game 1 he'd like St. Louis to shoot for 70-plus hits in Game 2. Asked about it Thursday after an optional practice, he reaffirmed that intention.
"Yeah, we're going to need it," Hitchcock said. "We've got to be more physical for us on the forecheck. We're reading too much rather than getting in on it. I think it's an area that's part of our game. Part of it is also puck management. They did a really good job of not letting us in the [offensive] zone with any type of control. Both teams checked really well."
Chicago has faced big, aggressive, forechecking teams before. The Blues did it in 2014, in a first-round series the Blackhawks won in six games. The Anaheim Ducks did it in the Western Conference Final last season, but Chicago won that in seven games before winning the Stanley Cup.
The Blackhawks, who were credited with 24 hits in Game 1, are confident they can expose the Blues' physical style by utilizing a speed game. In fact, coach Joel Quenneville all but said St. Louis would be making a mistake to chase too much body contact, and was skeptical of Hitchcock's magic number of 70.
"I'm not sure about that comment," he said. "I hope there's some validity to it. I hope he tries to go to 70. It means we got the puck the whole [game]."
Blackhawks team scope: Chicago will get back defenseman Duncan Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and last season's Conn Smythe winner, from a six-game suspension for a high-sticking penalty in the regular season. Keith will likely go back to playing with Niklas Hjalmarsson on the top pair and should ease the load for the rest the defensemen. "He's such a big part of our team and he's definitely missed when he's not in the lineup," said defenseman Brent Seabrook, who played 30:35 in Game 1. "Playing 30 minutes, speaking for myself, I've done it a lot of times in the playoffs in big games. I like playing those kind of minutes and being counted on, but having Duncan back definitely can alleviate that pressure in some areas." Keith's return will likely bump either rookie Erik Gustafsson or rookie Viktor Svedberg out of the lineup. Chicago expects forward Andrew Ladd to play again. Ladd, who played in Game 1, was back in Chicago on Thursday and has been shuttling between there and St. Louis while his wife was waiting to deliver their third child. Goalie Corey Crawford is expected to start.
Blues team scope: St. Louis forward Jaden Schwartz is missing teeth but won't miss Game 2. Schwartz will play after some damage during the shift before Blues captain David Backes scored the game-winning goal at 9:04 of overtime. Schwartz was accidentally hit in the mouth by the blade of teammate Jori Lehtera's stick on a follow-through. "He's good," Hitchcock said of Schwartz. "Missing a couple teeth. Nice new smile. He's good." The Blues held an optional skate at Scottrade Center on Thursday. No major lineup changes are expected, and goalie Brian Elliott will start again after his first playoff shutout. The Blues held a meeting prior to their on-ice work, and one of the main subjects was how to crack Chicago's stifling defense, which allowed 18 shots in Game 1. "They're taking away your time and space pretty good," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "They seem to want to get five guys toward the puck as much as possible, so our goal is to try to get out of that swarm and create offense from that."
Your pregame musicThe St. Louis Blues have plenty of pieces still in place from their previous postseason failures.
Maybe goaltender Brian Elliott is the change that finally drives them into the second round.
After posting the Blues' first playoff shutout in four years, Elliott looks to lift them to a 2-0 lead Friday night over the Chicago Blackhawks - who will get top defenseman Duncan Keith back - in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
The Blues could be facing their final shot at a deep playoff run with coach Ken Hitchcock and the core of their current roster after first-round exits the previous three seasons.
Elliott, however, is the new face in goal as St. Louis tries to change its postseason fortunes. A strong regular season and dominant closing stretch - he went 12-1-1 with a 1.90 goals-against average in his last 16 games - earned Elliott the starting nod ahead of oft-injured Jake Allen, and he came through in Wednesday's opener.
Elliott made 35 saves in a 1-0 overtime win that ended when David Backes' pass deflected off Chicago defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk's skate and past goalie Corey Crawford.
The ugly goal gave the Blues their third straight victory over Chicago.
''You just try to get your emotions in check and try not to get too revved up, calm yourself down a little bit when needed,'' Elliott said. ''At this time of the year it's just about that next game. You're not looking at the past or the future.''
Elliott led the league with a .930 save percentage and posted a 1.76 GAA and three shutouts in his final eight starts.
He started all six games in a 2013 playoff loss to Los Angeles but made only his second postseason appearance since then in Game 1. Elliott logged the Blues' first playoff shutout since he shared one with Jaroslav Halak on April 14, 2012.
St. Louis, though, has little reason to be overly confident. The Blues appeared in control against the Blackhawks in 2014 after winning twice in overtime at home to start the series, then dropped four straight - two of which went to OT.
All three Blues wins in this regular season's five-game series required overtime, and they've played four straight OT playoff games against the Blackhawks in St. Louis. Chicago went 4-1 in overtime games in last season's playoffs en route to its third Stanley Cup in six seasons.
The well-tested Blackhawks felt they played well Wednesday, and the return of Keith should provide a big boost. The 2015 Conn Smythe winner served the final game of a six-game suspension for high-sticking Minnesota's Charlie Coyle on March 29.
''We're happy to have him back,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''He gives us some speed, he gives us a lot of different looks and a lot of other options.''
Crawford was sharp with 17 saves in just his second game back from nearly a month-long absence due to a head injury, but the Blackhawks went 0 for 5 on the power play.
Hitchcock called Backes' goal "fluky."
''That's the type of goal that gets scored in overtime,'' defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. ''But they deserved it too, and we've got to find a way to score.''
Can I get an encore? Do you want more?
Your pregame motivational speech
