The Chicago Blackhawks (13-11-6) face off against their Central Division rivals, the St. Louis Blues (11-14-7), in a matchup steeped in history and recent Blues dominance. This intrastate battle kicks off the Blues’ four-game holiday homestand at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT), with coverage available on ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+. Expect a charged atmosphere in the 18,096-seat arena, where the Blues have struggled at home this season (4-7-4) but hold a commanding edge in recent head-to-heads.
Team Records and Standings
Chicago Blackhawks: 13-11-6 (32 points), sitting fourth in the Central Division. The Hawks are in playoff contention but have been inconsistent, boasting a +5 goal differential (82 goals for, 77 against) while ranking mid-pack in power play (18.9%) and penalty kill (79.2%).
St. Louis Blues: 11-14-7 (29 points), seventh in the Central and fighting for a wild-card spot. Their -12 goal differential (71 goals for, 83 against) reflects defensive woes, with a league-worst 76.1% penalty kill and just 16.7% success on the power play.
Both teams are hovering around .500, but Chicago’s slight edge in wins comes from opportunistic scoring led by young stars, while St. Louis leans on veteran grit amid mounting injuries.
Recent Team Forms
The Blackhawks enter on a mixed note after a gritty 3-0 shutout win over the New York Rangers on December 10, snapping a three-game skid that included a humiliating 7-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Over their last 10 games, Chicago is 4-5-1, averaging 2.8 goals per game while allowing 3.6—highlighting defensive lapses but flashes of offensive firepower. Key to their recent push: a 5-3 road win over Nashville on December 7, where Connor Bedard tallied two goals.
The Blues, meanwhile, are reeling from back-to-back blowout losses: a 7-2 drubbing by the Nashville Predators on December 11 and a 5-2 home defeat to the Boston Bruins on December 9. Their last 10 games sit at a dismal 2-6-2, with just 2.1 goals per game and 3.9 allowed, exacerbated by a porous defense conceding 35 shots per contest on average. A lone bright spot was a 4-3 overtime win at Montreal on December 6, but the injury bug has sapped their depth, leading to four losses in their last five.
| Team | Last 5 Games | Goals For/Against (Last 10) | Home/Road Record |
| Blackhawks | W-L-L-L-W | 28/36 | 6-5-4 (Home) / 7-6-2 (Road) |
| Blues | L-L-W-L-OTL | 21/39 | 4-7-4 (Home) / 7-7-3 (Road) |
Injury Report
Injuries are hitting both squads hard, potentially tilting the scales toward a low-scoring affair.
Chicago Blackhawks:
Laurent Brossoit (G): Out (Hip) – Expected return December 13. Drew King or Arvid Soderblom likely starts in net.
Nick Foligno (LW): Out (Hand) – IR, expected return December 13. A veteran presence lost in the bottom six.
Shea Weber (D): IR-LT (Ankle) – Not expected back until July 2026, a long-term absence for the aging blueliner.
St. Louis Blues:
Jordan Kyrou (RW): IR (Lower Body) – Week-to-week, expected return December 27. Their leading scorer (12 goals) has been sidelined since December 6.
Nick Bjugstad (C): Out (Upper Body) – At least five days, expected return December 17.
Alexey Toropchenko (RW): Out (Leg) – IR, expected return December 15. Adds to forward depth issues.
Nathan Walker (LW): IR (Upper Body) – Out at least eight weeks, return February 26.
Jimmy Snuggerud (F): Out (Wrist surgery) – Approximately six weeks, sidelining the rookie for the holiday stretch.
These absences force both coaches—Jeff Blashill (CHI) and Jim Montgomery (STL)—to shuffle lines, with St. Louis particularly thin up front.
Key Player Matchups
This game’s intrigue lies in star power versus defensive schemes. Here’s who to watch:
Connor Bedard (CHI, C) vs. Blues Top Pairing (Justin Faulk/Colton Parayko): Bedard, Chicago’s 20-year-old phenom with 18 goals and 22 assists, exploded for three points in the teams’ October 15 meeting (an 8-3 Hawks rout). He’ll test Faulk’s shot-blocking prowess (2.5 blocks/game) and Parayko’s physicality, especially on the power play where Chicago thrives.
Robert Thomas (STL, C) vs. Blackhawks Shutdown Line (Philipp Kurashev/Taylor Hall): Thomas (9 goals, 14 assists) has heated up with three goals in his last two games, often feeding linemate Pavel Buchnevich (8 goals, 11 assists). Chicago’s third line will aim to neutralize him, but Thomas’s faceoff wins (52%) could spark St. Louis’s stagnant offense.
Jake Neighbours (STL, LW) vs. Alex Vlasic (CHI, D): The gritty Neighbours (7 goals) was St. Louis’s lone standout in the October loss with a goal and assist. He’ll battle Vlasic, Chicago’s emerging two-way defenseman (5 goals, 10 assists), in board battles—Neighbours ranks top-20 league-wide in hits per game.
Goaltending Duel: Arvid Soderblom (CHI) vs. Jordan Binnington (STL): Soderblom (9-8-3, .905 SV%) earned the shutout vs. NYR but struggled vs. ANA (.857 SV%). Binnington (6-10-4, .895 SV%), fresh off a pulled performance in October, seeks redemption at home (.920 SV% there).
Projected lines (subject to change):
CHI: Bedard-Reichel-Bertuzzi | Athanasiou-Johnson-Mikheyev | Kurashev-Hall-Green | Dickenson-McGing-Johnson
STL: Thomas-Buchnevich-Neighbours | Holloway-Hayes-Saad | Kyrou (out)-Schwartz-Perunovich | Maccelli-Trenin-Bou | Mikkola-Buchinger | Faulk-Parayko
Series History
The Blackhawks and Blues share one of the NHL’s fiercest rivalries, dating back to St. Louis’s 1967 expansion. In 290 regular-season meetings, the Blues hold a slim 140-130-20 edge, but Chicago leads the all-time series 156-132-47 including playoffs (where the Hawks won four of five series, including the 2014 first-round upset). However, recent history favors St. Louis decisively: the Blues are 7-3-0 in the last 10 head-to-heads, outscoring Chicago 43-36. Their most recent clash on October 15, 2025, bucked the trend with an 8-3 Chicago blowout, but St. Louis has won five straight home games vs. the Hawks dating to 2023.
| Head-to-Head (Last 10) | CHI Record | STL Record | Avg. Goals (CHI/STL) |
| Regular Season | 3-7-0 | 7-3-0 | 3.6 / 4.3 |
Betting Trends
Moneyline: Blues -125 to -150 (implied win probability ~57-60%); Blackhawks +100 to +125
Puck Line: Blues -1.5 (+155); Blackhawks +1.5 (-190)
Total (O/U): 6 goals (Over -105; Under -115)
Trends:
Blues are 6-4 in their last 10 as favorites but just 2-8 straight-up in their last 10 overall.
Chicago is 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games but 3-7 as underdogs this season.
The Under has hit in 6 of the last 8 H2H meetings, averaging 5.9 total goals.
Game Odds
Chicago Blackhawks 5.5
St. Louis Blues – 120
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Thursday, December 11, 2025
