St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round Series Expert Predictions

The first-round Stanley Cup playoff matchup between the Central Division’s St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks was decided before the regular season officially came to a close, so both teams should’ve sized each other up by now in preparation for the postseason.

The Blackhawks – the league’s defending champs – have made the playoffs for the eighth-consecutive year, while the Blues have made it to their fifth-straight. Unfortunately, only one of these two perennial postseason contenders will advance to the conference semis. Will it be the boys from The Lou, or the Windy City? Let’s find out what the internet’s experts have to say below.

For a complete breakdown of the opening game between the Blues and the Blackhawks, head on over to our complete preview for that epic showdown right after this.

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St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks Series Expert Predictions

ESPN

Expert | Prediction
Craig Custance | St. Louis, 4-3

Craig Custance of ESPN argues that this series is possibly the most compelling opening-round series of them all, considering that both St. Louis and Chicago are legitimate contenders for the Cup this season as with most of the previous seasons. And with such an intense, playoff-tested rivalry looming, the senior writer sees the series going to St. Louis in seven games.

During their past postseason woes, the Blues have been done in by poor goaltending. Custance thinks that with the way two-time All-Star Brian Elliot is minding the net this season, the team can finally make a strong push in the early rounds of the tournament. Do note that the team had been eliminated from Stanley Cup contention in the first round of the playoffs in the last two seasons – the first to the Blackhawks themselves.

However, Elliot has had a tremendous campaign this time around. He quietly had the best save percentage in the league this season (.930), and tied for second only with Anaheim’s John Gibson with a 2.07 goals allowed average. With those impressive numbers, Custance is right to believe that the 31-year-old goalie will look past his .897 GAA in the playoffs and shake off his own postseason “blues” when all is said and done.

Bleacher Report

Expert | Prediction
Steve Silverman | St. Louis, 4-3

We have another vote for St. Louis taking the series in seven games, this time coming from Bleacher Report’s resident columnist Steve Silverman.

Silverman’s main concern, on the other hand, is St. Louis’ ability to create goals (or lack of it) come playoff time. He believes that the Blues finally have enough offensive weapons to keep up with Chicago’s own firepower, beginning with their best player in Vladimir Tarasenko.

While the Blues in general have been shaky in scoring during the playoffs, the face of the franchise has been nothing but a beast during this time of year. Tarasenko amassed 10 goals over his last 12 playoff games, and even scored a total of five goals in the five contests against the Blackhawks this regular season. Furthermore, the Russian sensation also score five times over his last five games of the regular season, so you know he’s hot and ready to fire away against the ‘Hawks right from the get-go, starting with Game 1 on Wednesday.

Chicago Tribune

Expert | Prediction
Chris Hine | Chicago, 4-2

Not everybody predicted the season series to go St. Louis’ way, as Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune – naturally – picked the Blackhawks to prevail in six games.

As biased as it may sound coming from a writer based in Chi-town, Hine’s defense is still a sound one, claiming that the ‘Hawks glowing playoff experience will once again shine in the opening round. Over its past three trips to the playoffs, Chicago only has five losses in the first round, with no series having been lost and going the full seven-game distance at that. And let’s not forget that the team won two Stanley Cups during that same three-year span.

Furthermore, the Blackhawks also have the league’s leading candidate for the Hart Trophy this season in Patrick Kane. Chicago’s star winger put his personal issues behind him and had one heck of a season, as he lead all players in points with 106 for the campaign – 17 points more than the next player behind him in the standings. He also finished second overall in goals scored (46) and third in assists (60).

It seems that Kane’s not done with molesting others. This time, though, he’ll be looking to abuse St. Louis’ defenders as he continues to lead Chicago towards becoming the NHL salary-cap era’s true dynasty.

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