Blackhawks at Blues
THE STORY: The hiring of coach Ken Hitchcock provided a jolt for the St. Louis Blues, and now they are about to get an added offensive spark when left wing David Perron returns to the lineup for the first time in more than a year in Saturday night's game against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks. Perron has been sidelined since Nov. 4, 2010, when he suffered a concussion on a hit by San Jose's Joe Thornton. A first-round pick in 2007, Perron played in all 82 games in the 2009-10 season, scoring 20 goals to go with 27 assists. Perron's return coincides with the Blues kicking off a five-game homestand. St. Louis had its four-game winning streak snapped in a shootout loss at Colorado on Friday that dropped the team to 8-1-3 under Hitchcock. Chicago also was pushed into a shootout before pulling out a 5-4 victory over the New York Islanders on Friday night.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, WGN, FSMW
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (15-8-3): Captain Jonathan Toews came up big Friday night, scoring the only goal in the shootout and notching a shorthanded goal and assist in regulation. It was his sixth multi-point game in the last 11. Patrick Sharp had a power-play goal to give him five tallies in four games, and Patrick Kane picked up his 18th and 19th assists. Kane has 24 points in 27 games against the Blues. G Ray Emery is 2-0 against St. Louis and could get the nod Saturday.
ABOUT THE BLUES (14-8-3): St. Louis couldn't protect a pair of one-goal leads and wound up falling to 0-3 in shootouts this season. Kevin Shattenkirk and Patrik Berglund scored goals for the Blues. Jaroslav Halak turned aside a season-high 33 shots but has been in net for each of the shootout losses. Alex Steen has an assist in four straight games. Brian Elliott, riding a six-game winning streak, is expected to start Saturday. He's allowed six goals during the streak.
OVERTIME:
1. Perron is coming back against a favorable opponent. He has scored eight goals in 19 games against the Blackhawks.
2. Chicago won four of six meetings with the Blues last season, but St. Louis won this season's only matchup 3-0 behind Halak's 29-save shutout on Nov. 8.