Before any hockey season, there are certain games that fans circle on the
schedule. Every team has rivals, and often, a team';s season is defined by how
they perform against these rivals, particularly in their own division.

In Rivalry Recap, we';ll examine how the St. Louis Blues performed against
their biggest divisional foes in the 2017-18 season, starting with the Chicago
Blackhawks. Though the Blues had a winning record against the Hawks in 2017-18,
 it was arguably one critical loss that ultimately cost them a playoff
berth.October 18: Blues 5, Blackhawks 2

As Blues fans well know, October was the apex of the team';s season. They went
10-2-1 in the first month of the season, and one of those ten victims was their
 biggest rival, the Blackhawks. The game was a Jaden Schwartz showcase.

He recorded his third career hat trick to propel the Blues'; offense. In the
fifth minute, he opened the scoring with a beautiful forehand-backhand play on
a feed by Vladimir Tarasenko. He netted one more in each succeeding period,
including an empty-net goal in the final minute, to confirm his hat trick. He
even scored on a cross-ice assist from goaltender Jake Allen.Jaden Schwartz
(Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Schwartz';s strong night was ultimately enough to give the Blues a victory, but
 there were worrisome moments as well. Despite a 4-0 lead in the third period,
the Blackhawks, known for their ability to mount late comebacks in little to no
 time, scored two power play goals two minutes apart. The power plays came
after Vladimir Sobotka was called for three penalties simultaneously, a
roughing call and a high-sticking double minor.

The goals came from Richard Panik and Ryan Hartman, both players who ironically
 would no longer be on the Blackhawks at the end of the season. Panik';s goal
was a slick redirection, while Hartman';s goal was a deflection off his body
from the stick of Alex DeBrincat, a player the Blues would become all too
familiar with in the coming months.

Jake Allen shined in the game, stopping 22 of 24 shots, making several
highlight reel saves along the way. The strong performance of Allen and
Schwartz was enough to give the Blues the first game of the season series, and,
 thanks to the NHL';s scheduling, the two teams would not meet again until
exactly five months later, by which time the story of both teams'; seasons
would be very, very different.March 18: Blues 5, Blackhawks 4 (OT)

When the teams next met five months later, both seasons had turned rather sour.
 The Blues had a red-hot April, but struggled throughout the rest of the
season, and they traded one of their pending free agents, Paul Stastny, at the
deadline. They entered the game with a record of 38-28-5.Paul Stastny (Amy
Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The Blackhawks'; season turned in a direction no one could have expected.
Without much warning, the perennial Stanley Cup contenders collapsed, due in no
 small part to the extended injury absence of their goaltender, Corey Crawford.
 They entered the game with a shocking 30-34-9 record.

Despite the records, both teams fought hard, as one would expect for a rivalry
game. Though the Blues ultimately prevailed and grabbed a crucial two points as
 they fought for a playoff spot, the star of the game was a young Blackhawks';
player. Alex DeBrincat, a rookie, and one of the few bright spots in the
Blackhawks'; season, scored his third hat trick of the year, which set a
Blackhawks'; franchise record for rookies and also tied him with Tony Granato
as the only U.S. born rookies to achieve the feat.

Two of DeBrincat';s goals came in the first period. The first was a nice wrist
shot over Allen';s blocker side, shot from some distance, while the second was
a sloppier goal jammed in over Allen in a tight scrum. The third goal would
seemingly be the most momentous, coming in what would turn out to be a flurry
of goals late in the third period. DeBrincat buried a one-timer to give the
Blackhawks a 4-3 lead, finish his hat trick, and seemingly finish off the
Blues.Chicago Blackhawks right wing Alex DeBrincat (Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY
 Sports)

But it would not be so easy for DeBrincat and the Blackhawks. With the goalie
pulled, in the final 90 seconds, Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo scored on a
one-timer from the point. Then, in the fourth minute of overtime, Patrik
Berglund took a hard shot that dribbled through the pads of Blackhawks';
goaltender J.F. Berube. The Blues walked off winners, despite the best efforts
of the Blackhawks'; rookie.

All told, nine points were tallied in the game by players named Alex
(DeBrincat, Pietrangelo, and Steen), but the final goal and assist by
Pietrangelo was the difference and carried the Blues to a fairly rare victory
in Chicago.April 4: Blackhawks 4, Blues 3

The win in Chicago became the second victory of a six-game winning streak that
seemed to put the Blues comfortably back in playoff contention. However, a
subsequent losing streak meant the Blues entered the final three games of the
season needing to conquer their arch-nemeses twice in order to advance. On Apr.
 4, the Blackhawks helped to prevent that in dramatic and brutal fashion.Photo:
 Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports

In the first half of the game, it seemed as if the Blues would impose their
will on their rival. The first goal went to an unlikely scorer - third-pairing
defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (assisted by Kyle Brodziak). Bortuzzo received the
puck with a lot of space along the wall, took his time, and unloaded a nifty
shot that beat Berube to the blocker side. The Blackhawks'; Andreas
Martinsen equalized five minutes later, and the score was tied at one at the
first intermission.

However, the Blues roared out of the locker room with an immediate tally.
Brayden Schenn scored 47 seconds in on an assist from Vince Dunn. A few minutes
 later, Vladimir Tarasenko gave the Blues a 3-1 lead on a breakaway assisted by
 Schenn. The Blues seemed in control and on their way to another victory over
the Blackhawks.

But the Blackhawks would slowly carve away at the Blues'; lead. First, Blake
Hillman, a rookie who made his NHL debut just a few days earlier, scored a
power play goal off an assist by Nick Schmaltz. The game was 3-2 at
intermission. Then, 8:30 into the third period, familiar foe Alex DeBrincat
scored his 28th goal of the season, unassisted off a giveaway by Blues'; rookie
 Tage Thompson.

The final eleven minutes of the game were played at a fever pitch, but the ice
seemed tilted towards the Blues net. They were outshot 11-5 in the third, and
when Chris Butler took a holding penalty with precisely two minutes left on the
 clock, it was little surprise that the Blackhawks took advantage. Duncan
Keith, scoring only his second goal of the season, put the final nail in the
Blues'; coffin with just nine seconds left, prompting a now infamous reaction
from Blues'; GM Doug Armstrong:

pic.twitter.com/wSTFvyK3zd

- Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) April 5, 2018

The game was an absolute backbreaker for the Blues, who were tied with ten
seconds left. Ultimately, had St. Louis escaped the game with even a point,
they would have made the playoffs. But the Blackhawks and Keith ensured that
would not happen. Still, there remained one game in the season series, and the
Blues were determined to take revenge.April 6: Blues 4, Blackhawks 1

Despite the embarrassing defeat two nights before, the Blues entered their
penultimate game of the season needing three points from two games in order to
make the playoffs. Therefore, this final game against the Blackhawks was
do-or-die, and the Blues delivered a handy victory.

Ironically, the season series would be bookended by Blues'; hat tricks. This
time, the hero was Patrik Berglund, who delivered a goal in the first and two
goals in the third to help his team to a 4-1 victory.

On the first, Joel Edmundson took a shot from the point that Berglund deflected
 in the slot to fool Berube and give the Blues the lead at intermission. Erik
Gustafsson equalized eight minutes into the third period, but Berglund
responded just 16 seconds later, collecting and depositing a rebound off the
stick of Kyle Brodziak. Jaden Schwartz added another tally four minutes later,
and Berglund sealed his hat trick with an empty net goal in the closing
minutes.Patrik Berglund (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The hat trick would be something of a curtain call for Berglund, who was traded
 in the offseason. Having played his whole career with the Blues, the "big
Swede" left the team as the sixth-ranked player in all-time games played with
694 starts, and this final hat trick would be a fond moment for Blues fans to
remember him by. While Berglund';s valiant effort would be enough to give the
Blues a victory, the team still fell short of the playoffs by losing their
final game to Colorado the next night.Season Synopsis

Out of context, any Blues fan would be very pleased with a 3-1-0 performance
against the Blackhawks in a season; however, the details of the 2017-18 series
are a little less flattering than the record indicates.

Though the Blues were able to win three games, the Blackhawks scored an
enormous moral victory by taking the lead late in the third period of the third
 game, costing the Blues a valuable point that ultimately cost them a playoff
berth. Though the Blues enter 2018-19 with bragging rights, they probably carry
 with them the bitter sting of that missed point, and the consequences that
come with it.

The post Rivalry Recap: Blues vs. Blackhawks appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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