GDT: Defending Stanley Cup Champ Blues vs. Chicago - 7:30| My How The Turn Tables|

[The Note]

When: Monday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: United Center
Watch: FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports GO
Listen: 101 ESPN, NHL App

*Guessing on the D-pairs with Bortz back*
Schwartz - Schenn - Thomas
Sanford - O'Reilly - Perron
Barbashev - Bozak - Brouwer
MacEachern - de la Rose - Walker

Parayko - Pietrangelo
Bouwmeester - Faulk
Bortuzzo - Dunn

Binnington


VS.

Saad-Toews-Nylander
DeBrincat-Dach-Kane
Kubalik-Kampf-Shaw
Smith-Carpenter-Highmore

De Haan-Seabrook
Maatta-Gustafsson
Koekkok-Murphy

Crawford​

Click to read more...

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Last season, the Blues lost several games to a poor Blackhawks team. I don’t have very high expectations, but I hate losing to these chumps.

 

[542365]

Glad to have Bortuzzo back for this one.

I look at our forward group and wonder how we ever score any goals, but the boys keep chugging along and finding ways to win.

Wouldn't mind an OT win to give them a point and hurt their tank a bit, but I don't care all that much. By the time they're competitive again we'll likely be on the downswing after Binnington retires and President of Hockey Operations Alexander Steen is forced to make some tough decisions regarding aging forwards Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Glad to have Bortuzzo back for this one.

I look at our forward group and wonder how we ever score any goals, but the boys keep chugging along and finding ways to win.

Wouldn't mind an OT win to give them a point and hurt their tank a bit, but I don't care all that much. By the time they're competitive again we'll likely be on the downswing after Binnington retires and President of Hockey Operations Alexander Steen is forced to make some tough decisions regarding aging forwards Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.

The RW tiebreaker is more meaningful than Chicago getting a loser point. Plus I don’t want to ever let Chicago score a goal or hear that damn song. Don’t tell me it’s a home game!

 

[Note Worthy]

Would love to bury Chicago further on our way to leading the West by a wider margin.

 

[elkranio]

A perfect time to post this nsfw photo of me again.

 

[542365]

The RW tiebreaker is more meaningful than Chicago getting a loser point. Plus I don’t want to ever let Chicago score a goal or hear that damn song. Don’t tell me it’s a home game!

I'm not really worried about tiebreakers. As long as we make the playoffs I don't really care what place we finish in. Home ice doesn't really seem to matter to this group, and I think our A game stacks up against anyone in the league. Just be healthy for the playoffs. That's all I ask.

 

[TheDizee]

ooof aat that Hawks 6 D

 

[TheDizee]

lul

 

[bluebird enthusiast]

A perfect time to post this nsfw photo of me again.

Legendary

 

[Reality Czech]

lul

Yikes, how is a team that bad so tight against the cap? That's embarrassing.

That being said, we absolutely cannot lose to these chumps playing one man down. The Blues are probably due an "off" game considering the injuries but please not tonight!

I'd keep Walker up on the first line until he gives up a reason not to. He looked great there once Chief moved him up. I kind of like Thomas on the third line because we need someone to drive the play and make that line more of a threat.

 

[WeWentBlues]

Yikes, how is a team that bad so tight against the cap? That's embarrassing.

That being said, we absolutely cannot lose to these chumps playing one man down. The Blues are probably due an "off" game considering the injuries but please not tonight!

I'd keep Walker up on the first line until he gives up a reason not to. He looked great there once Chief moved him up. I kind of like Thomas on the third line because we need someone to drive the play and make that line more of a threat.

The cost of keeping the band together

 

[ort]

They're not even playing a dman as a forward? I feel like this isn't the first time I've seen this happen, but man, that's nuts.

 

[Brian39]

They're not even playing a dman as a forward? I feel like this isn't the first time I've seen this happen, but man, that's nuts.

They don't have an extra on the roster. Keith is hurt, but not bad enough that they can/have put him on LTIR. That leaves them with 6 healthy D on the roster and 11 healthy F on the roster.

It looks like they have some LTIR to work with, but if they could/would use it on a call up, it would make sense for them to just call up a forward.

 

[Majorityof1]

Yikes, how is a team that bad so tight against the cap? That's embarrassing.

That being said, we absolutely cannot lose to these chumps playing one man down. The Blues are probably due an "off" game considering the injuries but please not tonight!

I'd keep Walker up on the first line until he gives up a reason not to. He looked great there once Chief moved him up. I kind of like Thomas on the third line because we need someone to drive the play and make that line more of a threat.

$21M on 2 forwards, $11M on goal tending, and roughly $12.4 on 2 over-the-hill D. The only one worth it is Kane, and maybe one of the goalies (but not needing both). That's over half the cap on mostly overpays. The only reason they can even field a team to win a single game is some productive ELCs (Debrincat, Strome, Dach, Nylander and Kubalik). But that is a lot of youth to have. They are in some trouble next year when Debrincat and Strome come off their ELCs

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Allen starting per Korac

 

[BlueDream]

Allen going tonight which I’m fine with. On the road against a depleted roster.

Might as well give Binner some rest while we can.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Wait, Chicago is playing 11 forwards? Where are you guys seeing this? That seems ridiculous.

couldn’t they at least get an accountant to suit up as a spare skater? They could send him to the box if they get a bench minor.

 

[EurlichBachman]

Living in Chicago this will be my first time seeing the Blues here since like 2014. Was hoping to see Binnington in person, oh well. Just win and preferably win big. Hate these clowns.

 

[542365]

Hope we don't take them lightly just because they're down a man. We have plenty of injuries of our own. Score early, score often. Run them out of their building.

 

[BlueOil]

i figured they'd be double shifting kane or toews anyway, so this just confirms it

hawks are capable of winning if the blues let them, but i hope we extend the streak to four wins and keep it rolling despite the injuries

looking forward to seeing how martin st. louis nathan walker does again tonight

also feels like tonight is a good night for pietrangelo's 100th

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I actually don’t mind going with Allen tonight. He’s been in a bit of a groove and he’s better on the road. I’m okay with monitoring Binny’s workload and we may as well try to take advantage of Allen while he’s hot.

 

[Brian39]

$21M on 2 forwards, $11M on goal tending, and roughly $12.4 on 2 over-the-hill D. The only one worth it is Kane, and maybe one of the goalies (but not needing both). That's over half the cap on mostly overpays. The only reason they can even field a team to win a single game is some productive ELCs (Debrincat, Strome, Dach, Nylander and Kubalik). But that is a lot of youth to have. They are in some trouble next year when Debrincat and Strome come off their ELCs

To be fair, the Crawford contract was a good one, but completely unpredictable circumstances derailed it and forced them to invest even deeper into goaltending. He was a top 5-10 goalie in each of the 3 first years of that deal, winning another Cup and posting a .924, .924 and .918 through 55+ starts in those 3 seasons. He was posting a .929 through 27 starts in the 4th year when he sustained a head injury and/or developed vertigo issues. He didn't play in the rest of that season, wasn't the same when he eventually returned in year 5 (last year) and was in and out of the lineup with injuries. That prompted them to feel a need to have a legitimate #2/tandem guy given the uncertainty around Crawford. Chicago gave out some stupid contracts, but the money invested in goal is just bad luck.

I also wouldn't say that Keith is an overpay, even at 36. The offense hasn't been there this year, but he is logging 23:50 a night, had 40 points last year, and is posting decent possession metrics. He's not the elite D he used to be, but his cap hit is still just $5.5 mil per year. That' about market value for an underwhelming 24 minute a night guy.

Toews and Seabrook are just brutal contracts though.

 

[Stopsight]

Hopefully the motivation is there today, especially with injuries there are a lot of guys on the team that have never had to play the Blackhawks when they were actually good.

 

[David Dennison]

Brouwer? Shaw? Time is a flat circle.