Blues Squeeze Past Bedard-Less Hawks in Defensive Slog, +1.5 Cashes Easy

The Blues edged Chicago 1-0 in a game that played out exactly as advertised: two offensively challenged rosters grinding through sixty minutes of low-event hockey. Without Connor Bedard and Jordan Greenway, the Blackhawks never threatened to light the lamp, managing little sustained pressure against Jordan Binnington, who posted a shutout despite his pedestrian .873 preseason save percentage. Chicago's Stanislav Berezhnoy held his own in a losing effort, but one goal was always going to be enough in this snoozer.

DarkHorse's Blues +1.5 cashed comfortably, and the logic was airtight from the jump. You don't lay a goal and a half with two clubs that couldn't score in a batting cage last season, especially when the visiting side is missing its generational center and another top-six body. The final margin of one goal was the widest realistic outcome given Chicago's depleted attack, and Binnington's shaky numbers never materialized into a blowout risk—they just kept the total low, as predicted.

Favorites covering -1.5 hovers around 45-47 percent league-wide for good reason: NHL games are tight, and this one was tighter than a drum. The model nailed the range, the pick hit without drama, and anyone who laid Chicago -1.5 learned an expensive lesson about roster context.