This game isn't going to rest on Tarasenko's ice time or Hitchcock. It is going to be 100% about the effort and execution of the core players we need to step up and be the leaders and show they can get this team to the next level. That is Backes, Shattenkirk, Pietrangelo, Steen, Elliott, and a few others. You can argue if Tarasenko should be in this group or not. I would think so. But cheesy arguments like the Hitchcock / Tarasenko feud are not relevant to the game tonight.

We know what we're going to get from Tarasenko and we know how much Chicago is going to focus on him. That frees up the players like Fabbri, Schwartz and a few others to make plays without the Hawks' #1 focus. But none of it matters if the core game is not won in the corners, at the bluelines and in the neutral zone. That's where the core players have to win the battles. That's where it is about digging deep and winning the dozens of little battles, every minute of the game. That is where the Blues failed Saturday night and where they will have failed, if they lose tonight...