Blues Look to Exploit a Winless Blackhawks Squad at United Center

Chicago enters Tuesday night's home game at 0-3-0, and St. Louis arrives at the United Center with a chance to put real distance between itself and a Blackhawks team still searching for its first win of the season. No model read is available for this one, so the tape and the numbers have to do the talking.

The record disparity here is hard to ignore. St. Louis sits at 1-1-0 — not a world-beater, but a team that has at least figured out how to win a hockey game this year. Chicago, at 0-3-0, has not. Three games in and the Blackhawks are still looking for a foothold, which makes tonight's home date feel less like an opportunity and more like a pressure test. Playing in front of your own crowd when you haven't won yet cuts both ways — the energy can lift you, or the anxiety can sink you.

On the St. Louis side, Dalibor Dvorsky is the name to watch. He leads the Blues with 2 goals and 2 points through two games, which makes him the team's most dangerous offensive presence on paper right now. Pius Suter has chipped in an assist, giving St. Louis some secondary production to lean on. Joel Hofer is expected to start in net for the Blues, and how he handles whatever pressure Chicago can generate will matter in a game that could easily be decided by a single bounce.

For the Blackhawks, Alex Vlasic leads the team with 2 assists and 2 points — notable that Chicago's top producer is a defenseman driving offense from the back end rather than a forward putting pucks in the net. Jordan Greenway has the team's lone goal on the season. Spencer Knight is expected to start in goal for Chicago, and he'll need to be sharp if the Blackhawks are going to manufacture their first win. There's no validated model read for this game, so lean on what the numbers are already telling you: St. Louis has found the win column, Chicago hasn't, and until the Blackhawks show they can close out a game, the Blues deserve the benefit of the doubt tonight.