Blackhawks vs Blues Prediction & Odds (Sep 24)

Three Points and Zero Points Walk Into Enterprise Center

Chicago has taken something out of both of its games. St. Louis has taken nothing out of two. That is the tension in Blackhawks vs Blues on Thursday night, and there is a wrinkle stacked on top of it: the visiting side is missing the name most casual fans would buy a ticket to see. Puck drop is Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET at Enterprise Center. No odds are posted for this one yet, so this is a matchup read first and a number read second.

The Matchup

As of publication, the Chicago Blackhawks are 1-0-1 and the St. Louis Blues are 0-2-0. An NHL record reads wins, then regulation losses, then overtime or shootout losses. A win is worth two standings points, an overtime loss one, a regulation loss zero. So Chicago sits on three points and St. Louis on zero.

The event is listed as season type 1 of the 2027 season, the preseason portion of the calendar, and that matters more than the records do. Lineups are mixed, ice time is spread around, and coaches are auditioning bodies instead of chasing points. Our data set gives no season series history between these clubs, so we will not invent one. Home ice belongs to the Blues.

Players to Watch

Bowen Byram leads Chicago with 3 in the line supplied to us. Jonatan Berggren leads St. Louis with 1. Two things stand out. First the gap: the visiting leader has triple the home leader's output over the same two games. Second the sample: two games. One loud night builds a September leaderboard. Treat both names as usage clues, meaning a hint about who is getting the important minutes, rather than as established trends. Berggren topping the Blues with a single mark tells you how quiet St. Louis has been.

The Numbers

Odds are not up for Blues vs Blackhawks yet, so we will not quote a price we cannot see. Here is what will post and what each piece means. The moneyline is a straight bet on who wins the game, overtime and shootout included, and the attached price tells you what you must risk to win $100 or what $100 risked returns. The puck line is hockey's spread, almost always 1.5 goals: the favorite must win by two or more, the underdog survives by losing by exactly one or by winning.

A puck line ticket and a moneyline ticket are separate bets with separate win conditions, and neither one stands in for the other. The total, also called the over/under, is the combined goals by both teams. When the board opens, job one is shopping. Half a goal on the total or a few cents on a price decides whether a bet is worth making. Every posted number also carries the vig, the sportsbook's built-in commission, which is why both sides of a market add up to more than 100 percent.

Where the Value Is

We lean St. Louis, and we are calling it a matchup lean, not a price lean, because there is no price to lean on. The reasoning is simple. Chicago is down two forwards, including its highest-profile name. St. Louis is down one player. The home side is one game deeper into a bad start and has the shorter absence list.

Expected value is just what a bet is worth on average over many repeats: risk $100 at a fair price on a coin flip and you break even over time, pay a premium above fair and you are buying the same result for more money. So the lean has a ceiling. If the Blues open near even money, meaning a $100 risk returns roughly $100 in profit, we are interested. If they open as a heavy favorite, we pass, because a 0-2-0 preseason team does not deserve a steep number.

Injuries

Three names, all ruled Out, so there is no guesswork. Chicago is without Connor Bedard and Jordan Greenway. St. Louis is without Tyler Tucker. Two absences against one tilts the depth ledger toward the home bench.

The Pick

Desk lean: St. Louis Blues moneyline, once it posts, at even money or better, at whichever sportsbook shows the best number. This is Wise Guy Desk analysis, not Ross's documented play. Shorter than that price, and no bet is the correct answer.

The Prediction

Blues 3, Blackhawks 2, five goals combined. A home team that has not scored, a road team missing two forwards, and September legs on both sides. If the total posts above 5.5, the under is the first market we would price out. That is the read on this number, and the Desk posts a documented free play on days like this one, right below.