Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks will be in a familiar spot Monday in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series with the St. Louis Blues.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks have rebounded yet again from an early series deficit and will try to win their sixth playoff road game in eight attempts at St. Louis in a pick 'em betting matchup at most sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Chicago knocked out a higher-seeded Blues team two years ago in the first round after dropping the first two games on the road and also beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 in Game 7 on the road during last year’s Western Conference Final to overcome a 3-2 series deficit.

The Blackhawks are 2-2 in Game 7s under head coach Joel Quenneville and improved to 15-1 in Game 6s following a 6-3 rout of St. Louis at home Saturday.

They are also 45-15 in Games 4-7 with Quenneville thanks to clutch play from their top players, including leading scorer Patrick Kane, who scored his first goal in Game 6 to help the team pay off on the NHL betting lines.

This is the third time the Blues, after leading 3-1, will have an opportunity to advance past Chicago in this series and get to the second round for the first time since 2013. 

St. Louis defenseman Alex Pietrangelo had been one of the team’s best players before he gave the Blackhawks some bulletin board material when he told reporters, "It's going to be fun to win it in Chicago." Now, Pietrangelo will need to have one of his best games to make sure Chicago is not celebrating another comeback on his home ice.

The Blackhawks trailed Game 6 at home 3-1 after the first period before scoring five unanswered goals, including three in the second to retake the lead.

They had scored the first goal as well but surrendered three straight to the Blues within a five-minute stretch to make Pietrangelo's statement look valid early on.

In order for the home team to win for the third time in the series, St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott will need to recover from giving up nine goals in the past two games, including four in a 4-3 double-overtime loss in Game 5 on Thursday.

The road team is 9-5 in the past 14 meetings, according to the Odds Shark NHL Database, and had won four in a row in this series before Chicago ended that streak.

The Chicago Blackhawks are on the brink of elimination as they visit the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 of their first-round series Thursday.

The Blues are big -900 favorites (bet $900 to win $100) to advance to the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and -130 favorites to win Game 5 at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark after taking a commanding 3-1 series lead Tuesday with a 4-3 victory.

St. Louis has won five of the past six meetings with Chicago and saw the over cash for the first time in seven games between them in Game 4, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, thanks to a pair of goals from All-Star winger Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Blackhawks led for a little more than four minutes in the second period after defenseman Duncan Keith scored on a strange power play that resulted from Blues rookie Robby Fabbri getting into a fight with goaltender Corey Crawford.

The home team seemed to grab some momentum for the first time in the game before Tarasenko evened the score with his second goal on the power play before the end of the period.

St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott was again stellar between the pipes and looks to be the MVP of the series following his 39-save performance. Elliott outplayed his counterpart, Crawford, yet again despite getting peppered with more shots for the third time in four games.

The only outing in which Crawford made more saves than Elliott was in Game 2, when he stopped 29 of 31 shots in a 3-2 Blackhawks win. Other than that, Chicago has been the more aggressive team offensively throughout the series and will need to be again in order to have any chance of winning Game 5.

Surprisingly, the best offensive player in this series for the Blackhawks has been Keith, even though he missed the first game due to a suspension. He has three goals in the last three games, including two in Game 4 and four points overall.

According to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston (h/t Rotoworld), Chicago will be without forward Andrew Shaw in Game 5 after he used inappropriate language following a costly penalty in Game 4. Shaw tallied three points in Game 4 with one goal and two assists, and he is tied with Keith and Patrick Kane for the most points on the team with four in the playoffs. Kane has four assists.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw was suspended for one game and fined $5,000 on Wednesday for using a gay slur in Game 4 of the team's opening-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues.

NHL Public Relations confirmed Shaw's suspension through a news release and indicated he'd undergo sensitivity training. The league specified Shaw's fine stems from an inappropriate gesture toward on-ice officials during Tuesday's game, which Chicago lost 4-3.     

NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell spoke about Shaw's ban.

"While Mr. Shaw was apologetic and remorseful for both the offensive comments and the inappropriate gesture directed at the on-ice officials, he must be held accountable for his actions," said Campbell, per the NHL's news release. "The emotion of the moment cannot and will not be a mitigating factor for the conduct that is expected of an NHL player."

To back up Campbell's assertion that Shaw regretted his actions, the 24-year-old issued an apology Wednesday, per CSN Chicago's Tracey Myers, who also included the club's statement on the matter:

Shaw had one goal and two assists in the Blackhawks' loss to St. Louis. It was a pivotal defeat for the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who find themselves heading back on the road trailing, 3-1, in the series.

Chicago's chances of overcoming such a deficit with two of a possible three games away from the Windy City are slim, but they dwindle even more with Shaw out of the equation for Thursday's Game 5.

Although he's not often known for his offense, Shaw is the type of tone-setter the Blackhawks need to engage in a physical contest with the Blues. He led Chicago in the regular season with 69 penalty minutes and is a menacing deterrent to the St. Louis offense.

Unfortunately, Shaw's suspension may contribute to the Blackhawks' bid for a championship repeat being cut surprisingly short.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw appeared to use a gay slur near the end of his team's 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reported the NHL is investigating the incident, and Shaw and the organization issued statements on Wednesday. Per Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago, Shaw said the following:

I am sincerely sorry for the insensitive remarks that I made last night while in the penalty box. When I got home and saw the video, it was evident that what I did was wrong, no matter the circumstances. I apologize to many people, including the gay and lesbian community, the Chicago Blackhawks organization, Blackhawks fans and anyone else I may have offended. I know my words were hurtful, and I will learn from my mistake.

Myers also shared the Blackhawks' statement:

We are extremely disappointed in [Shaw's] actions last night. His comments do not reflect what we stand for as an organization. We are proud to have an inclusive and respectful environment, and to support various initiatives such as the You Can Play Project and the Chicago Gay Hockey Association. We will use this opportunity to further educate our players and organization moving forward, so that we all may learn from it.

The Blackhawks pointed to their support of the You Can Play Project, which Cam Tucker of NBCSports.com said started in 2012 in order to fight for equality and respect for athletes, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The organization took to Twitter in response to the Shaw incident:

Kuc described the process that led to Shaw's use of the slur. He was penalized for interference late in the loss, directed an obscene gesture at the officials on the way to the penalty box and then screamed at them once he was there.

That is when he appeared to use the slur, as Greg Jonsson of STLToday.com shared in this NSFW highlight:

Outside of the insensitive nature of Shaw’s remarks, the actual penalty was particularly costly for the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Blackhawks were trailing by a goal in the final minutes and had to play a man short for a crucial stretch. Even when Chicago eventually pulled goaltender Corey Crawford, it was only playing five-on-five against the Blues without anyone in net.

It was one part of an undisciplined game for the Blackhawks. Crawford came out of the net in the second period and started a fight with Blues forward Robby Fabbri, and the two teams scuffled after the contest was over. Shaw was prominently involved in that scuffle.

Cindy Boren of the Washington Post called for the NHL to suspend Shaw and called it a "no-brainer" decision. She also suggested Shaw should be fined on top of a suspension, pointing to Kobe Bryant being fined by the NBA for using a slur as precedent.

Adam Gretz of CBSSports.com cited past incidents in the NHL for potential precedent cases for a suspension, including when Krys Barch was suspended for directing a racist joke toward P.K. Subban and when James Wisniewski was suspended for two games because of an obscene gesture directed at Sean Avery.

If Shaw is suspended, it will be a blow for a Blackhawks team that is already on the brink of elimination. Chicago is trailing in the series 3-1 and has to hit the road for Thursday's Game 5.

Shaw tallied 34 points this season behind 14 goals and 20 assists and was a critical piece on Chicago's 2013 and 2015 Stanley Cup champion teams. He brings plenty of postseason experience and a toughness factor near the middle of the ice that could help the Blackhawks come back in this series.

On the heels of allegedly using a gay slur after being called for a penalty late in the Chicago Blackhawks' 4-3 playoff loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of the Western Conference's opening round Tuesday, forward Andrew Shaw responded to questions about his actions.

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), the Blackhawks forward said he didn't recall what he said during the heat of the moment: "Being like I just said—I'll repeat myself for you—emotions are high. I don't know what was said. Obviously, I was upset with the call. I wasn't happy with the call."

Shaw and the Blackhawks followed that up with official statements, per Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago:

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed an investigation into the incident in an email to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune, saying: "Yes we are looking into it, and no we can't comment on it until that process is complete."

Following the incident, the You Can Play Project, an NHL partner and LGBT activism campaign, tweeted about the matter:

Shaw was called for interference with less than three remaining in regulation, which severely damaged Chicago's chances of tying the game and ultimately evening the series.

Prior to his alleged use of a gay slur, Shaw expressed his displeasure for the call by flipping off the officials on his way to the penalty box.

Blackhawks reporter Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune also chimed in with his thoughts:

Despite a current lack of definitive proof regarding what Shaw said, the evidence points strongly in a direction that could prompt the NHL to take disciplinary action with him.

The league has shown a genuine commitment to protecting the rights of LGBT athletes and the community at large since joining forces with the You Can Play Project, and Shaw's alleged slur is in direct conflict with that.

Chicago's back is already against the wall as it faces a 3-1 series deficit, and the potential loss of Shaw for Game 5 would make the uphill climb even steeper.

Shaw is a key player for the defending Stanley Cup champions after putting up 14 goals and 34 points during the regular season, and his grit would undoubtedly be missed.

The NHL is rightly obligated to address the matter if there is enough evidence to implicate Shaw, and doing so would set a clear precedent that similar actions won't be tolerated in the future.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

The Chicago Blackhawks face the prospect of dropping consecutive home games in the playoffs when they host the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 on Tuesday—something that has not happened to them in their last 30 games at the United Center in the postseason.

The Blackhawks are listed as consensus -160 favorites (bet $160 to win $100) to rebound with a victory at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark following a tough 3-2 loss on Sunday.

The last five times Chicago has lost a playoff game at home, the team has bounced back with a victory there, putting even more pressure on the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Dating back to the start of last season, the team was 70-0-4, with a lead going into the third period last game, but it saw a 2-1 advantage turn into a rare loss when the Blues tallied two goals in the final 15 minutes for the win.

Patrick Kane, the league's leading scorer during the regular season, had a costly four-minute, double-minor penalty for high-sticking in the third, and St. Louis capitalized by tying the game and later going ahead to take a 2-1 series lead and paying off on the NHL betting lines.

Kane has just three points in the first three games for the Blackhawks, all on assists, after becoming the first American-born player ever to lead the league in scoring. He has a tendency to come alive later in a series when the opposition has forgotten about him, but this will be the ultimate test considering the Blues have the opportunity to head home with a commanding 3-1 lead.

Last year against the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Final, Kane had only two points on two goals through the first four games before erupting for five points (one goal and four assists) in the last two.

However, that might be even more difficult for Kane to do in this spot versus a hot goaltender in Brian Elliott. The St. Louis netminder made a postseason career-high 44 saves in Game 3 and has stopped 105 of 109 shots in the series. He has been the difference for the Blues so far, facing 24 more shots than Chicago counterpart Corey Crawford and allowing two less goals.

The under is 3-0-3 in the past six meetings for totals bettors, with St. Louis winning four of the last five according to the Odds Shark NHL Database.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane became the first American-born player to win the NHL's Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer Sunday, according to Chris Peters of CBS Sports.

Kane set career highs in goals (46) and assists (60) to become just the fourth player to record 100-plus points in the past five full NHL seasons.

The team celebrated his accomplishment on Twitter:

The award was a foregone conclusion a while ago, as Kane finished 17 points ahead of Dallas Stars left winger Jamie Benn.

It was quite an accomplishment, considering the award was first given out after the 1947-48 season. Kane seemed humbled to win the trophy, per the Blackhawks' official website:

It is an honor being the first American to win the scoring title as there have been so many great hockey players from the United States in the NHL. I take a lot of pride in that, but I also take a lot of pride in doing it with the Chicago Blackhawks. I owe a lot to my teammates, coaches and the organization as I couldn’t have done this without them. This has been a special season, but we still have a lot to accomplish as a team and I look forward to another long run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This was only the third time in his nine-year career that Kane played all 82 games in a season. It paid off for the Blackhawks, who finished with 103 points and will open the playoffs Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues.

His amazing season also came on the heels of a rape allegation that was dismissed in court in November. After the dismissal, Kane released a statement denying any wrongdoing, per Jared S. Hopkins and Stacy St. Clair of the Chicago Tribune.

"I have repeatedly said that I did nothing wrong," he said. "I have respected the legal process and I am glad that this matter has now been closed and I will have nothing further to say going forward."

He put any distractions behind him and appears to be ready to try to lead his team to its second straight Stanley Cup and fourth in the past seven seasons.

The NHL handed Chicago Blackhawks star Duncan Keith a six-game suspension Friday for slashing Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle in the face Tuesday, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Keith's suspension will force him to miss Game 1 of the Blackhawks' first-round playoff series.

Per Lazerus, the NHL released a video explaining the decision to sit Keith down for his actions against Coyle.

"While on his back, Keith looks at Coyle, winds his arm back, then slashes his stick dangerously and violently directly into the face of Coyle...an intentional and retaliatory act of violence by a player with a history of using his stick as a weapon," the NHL said.

Keith said he will not appeal the suspension and has apologized to Coyle, according to Lazerus. "There’s a limit there and I gotta know that," Keith said, per Lazerus. "I will. Everybody wants to have a reputation as a clean, honest player. There’s a line [and] a limit. It’s just being smarter and knowing that," Keith said.

The incident took place midway through the first period of Minnesota's 4-1 win over Chicago, as Keith swung his stick at Coyle's face after being knocked to the ice:

The officials gave Keith a match penalty for the incident.

The punishment, however, is drawing some criticism, as Dimitri Filipovic of SportsNet.ca thought the NHL let Keith off lightly:

Chicago's star defenseman has had violent outbursts on the ice, serving a five-game suspension in 2012 for elbowing Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin and a one-game suspension during the 2013 Western Conference Final for a high-stick retaliation against the Los Angeles Kings' Jeff Carter.

The Blackhawks have already locked up a playoff spot but are trailing the Dallas Stars by eight points for first place in the Central Division with five games left. Keith's absence won't make much of a dent in their pursuit of a division title, so the team will have to survive only one notable game without him. 

The Minnesota Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Tuesday, but the loss was only one of the concerns for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

According to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, the league suspended defenseman Duncan Keith six games, which rules him out of Game 1 of the Blackhawks' conference quarterfinals series. Keith earned the suspension after swinging his stick and making contact with Wild forward Charlie Coyle. The NHL's Department of Player Safety released a video detailing the reason for the punishment:

Keith personally apologized to Coyle for the incident, per Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago:

He earned a 10-minute match penalty for deliberate injury and was ejected. While the Wild didn't score during their five minutes on the power play, they earned the victory against a depleted Chicago team missing Keith and fellow defenseman Brent Seabrook, who was out with an illness.

Lazerus shared Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville's thoughts:

The Blackhawks will miss their star defender, but Lazerus noted rest right before the postseason actually could be something of a silver lining for Chicago:

Still, there's no way to any put positive spin around missing a playoff game, and Keith's absence will loom large.

"One playoff game is very big when you know his importance to our team and the minutes that he absorbs," said Quenneville, per ESPN.com.

In 67 games this season, Keith has notched 43 points on 34 assists and nine goals. He also boasts an impressive plus/minus rating of plus-13, per ESPN.com.

Keith was at his best in last season's playoffs, when he took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP. The Blackhawks beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals even though they largely relied on only four defensemen. Keith played significant minutes and was a force on both sides of the ice.

An extended suspension for the defenseman would be another blow for a Blackhawks squad limping into the playoffs. They are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and will have to generate some late-season momentum without Keith.

Seabrook should return soon, and Chicago also has Niklas Hjalmarsson, Christian Ehrhoff and Michal Rozsival as defensive options. Still, Keith is one of the best defenders in the league and a major reason the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last season. They need him on the ice come playoff time.