The first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs pits two bitter rivals against one another in a best-of-seven series which is set to begin in St. Louis on tonight. The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks met five times over the course of the regular season, and the Blues won three of those five games. The defending-champion Chicago Blackhawks appeared haggard and disheveled in recent weeks, leading many to believe that the reigning champs will not make it past this first round of competition.
The St. Louis Blues have played well all year, and they nearly supplanted the Central Division leaders, the Dallas Stars, at the end of the season.