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The Ecstasy of Gold: Blackhawks 4, Blues 2

Chicago’s first preseason win of 2025.

Posted on by L_B_R
Source: Blackhawks.com

The Chicago Blackhawks erupted for four goals in the third period to rally past the Blues, earning a 4-2 preseason win on Saturday night in St. Louis.

The Blues opened the scoring about six minutes into the first period when Dalibor Dvorsky’s shot from the top of the circle hit the post and bounced in behind Spencer Knight.

Brayden Schenn made it 2-0 just 53 seconds into the second period: a slick tic-tac-toe goal ended with Schenn tipping in Jake Neighbours’ shot pass.

Momentum seemed to shift toward the Blackhawks in the latter half of the second period, though it wasn’t until midway through the third that they were rewarded, scoring two goals less than 30 seconds apart to tie the game 2-2.

The first of the quick strikes came from Dominic Toninato, who sent a random shot from above the right circle that deflected off a Blues player’s skate and into the net, making it 2-1 at 10:58 of the third.

Then, Gavin Hayes scored 27 seconds later: he parked himself in the slot, took the feed, and buried it into a wide-open net past Will Cranley to knot the game at two in the third period.

The Blackhawks scored the go-ahead goal with with 3:01 left in the third: Oliver Moore jumped on the puck, raced in, and snapped a shot upstairs to make it 3-2. Most of the other players on the ice were distracted by a scrum at center ice created after a clean hit from Colton Dach on Oskar Sundqvist .

Jason Dickinson scored an empty-net goal with four seconds left and the Blackhawks won 4-2.

Notes:

After the first period, it looked like this game might follow the same script as the Detroit preseason matchup: the Blackhawks were out-attempted 18–6, outshot 13–3, and managed just 28.44 percent of the expected goals. There were missed connections, coverage breakdowns, puck misplays, and more from the youth-filled Blackhawks roster. Not great, Bob.

Fortunately, hockey games last 60 minutes, and the Blackhawks started to settle in as things went along. The second period still tilted toward the Blues in terms of volume — they owned about 56 percent of the shot attempts and shots on goal — but the Blackhawks flipped the quality battle, holding 55.4 percent of the expected goals. In the final 10 minutes or so of the frame, they really began to come together.

That momentum carried into the third, where the ice felt decidedly tilted in Chicago’s favor, with shot shares of 60 percent or higher across the board. They tightened up defensively, moved the puck out of the defensive zone with more consistency, and connected on plays that weren’t there earlier in the game. It probably didn’t hurt that the Blues switched goalies heading into the third — Cranley, a sub-.900 netminder who’s spent more time in the ECHL than anywhere else the last couple of seasons, took over — but that doesn’t change the fact that the Blackhawks were clearly the better team in the final period. It was absolutely nice to see the team bounce back so well in the third.

Toninato had a strong night for the Blackhawks, and there were some nice plays from other veterans as well. But let’s focus more on the kids fighting for roster spots in Chicago. The three young forwards who stood out most offensively were Oliver Moore, Lukas Reichel, and Nick Lardis — with Gavin Hayes flashing at times, too. Ryan Greene was a defensive standout, even in the sloppy first half, and Colton Dach delivered some heavy physical moments that highlighted the kind of player he could become. The young defensemen were less impressive in comparison.

More in-depth:

Moore led the team with six shot attempts. Not all of them were dangerous, but he consistently used his speed to create space for himself and his teammates. He still needs to learn to slow things down so his hands can better keep up with his feet — like they did on his goal — but, overall, he was impressive. He hounded the puck in the offensive zone, kept cycles alive multiple times, and capped it off with a beautiful finish. He was so locked in on scoring, he apparently didn’t even notice the scrum happening behind him afterward. Love that kind of focus.

Reichel and Lardis showed plenty of chemistry, and they easily could have combined for a goal or two — especially on the power play when Lardis’ stick snapped. Both finished with five shot attempts and three scoring chances. Reichel’s playmaking was on display throughout the night, particularly in the third period, while Lardis continues to have no trouble timing his shots for quality looks. Sure, it’s only preseason, but that’s still encouraging to see. Reichel has had a solid camp overall, perhaps thanks to finally playing consistently with young teammates of similar skill and speed who complement his style. Still, it may not be enough to stave off a potential trade.

Hayes had an overall solid game, though most of his chances came from the work of his linemates. Still, he skated hard and found the right areas of the ice more effectively than he did last season in the AHL.

Greene had some moments as well, but it was his faceoff work and defensive play that really stood out. He maintained strong positioning all night, forechecked with purpose, disrupted plays in all the right ways, and won nearly 60 percent of his 22 faceoffs, the most on the team. If Greene can unlock a bit more offense at the NHL level, he has all the tools to be a steady, two-way third-line center.

Dach’s biggest impact came through his physical play: he led the team in hits again with six — including one at center ice that set up Moore’s go-ahead goal — battled effectively along the boards, and even dropped the gloves in a fight that seemed to give the Blackhawks a lift. While it would’ve been nice to see him connect on more passes instead of turning a few over, Dach is showing enough so far to look like a strong candidate for at least a fourth-line role to open the season.

Ethan Del Mastro had another rough start: he struggled to move the puck out, lost coverage, collided with teammates, and more. The first period was especially disappointing and, although he looked somewhat better in the second, his play still wasn’t at the level you’d expect from someone many had penciled in to start the season with the Blackhawks. Like most of the team, though, Del Mastro’s third period was much stronger. He was particularly effective in the offensive zone and capped things off with an assist.

None of the other young defensemen stood out much. Despite landing near the bottom of the Game Score chart, Nolan Allan and Kevin Korchinski were both fairly solid — simple, quiet games without any real standout moments, good or bad. Normally, “quiet” is fine for a defenseman, but not when you’re battling for an NHL spot. Korchinski looks destined for the AHL this season, while Allan could still push for a roster spot in Chicago if he can show a bit more the rest of the preseason.

As for Crevier, he had some good moments, but overall he looked slow and laggy for most of the game, even in the third, when many of the other young players were stepping up. He’s a fine enough 6/7 on the team, though.

In net, Knight had a strong game tonight, especially in the first half when the Blues were carrying the play. Some might argue he should have stopped the first goal against, but he was essentially screened by Louis Crevier and, even though the shot came from distance, it still took a post-and-in bounce to beat him. On the Blues’ second goal, too many Blackhawks collapsed on Parayko in the middle, leaving both wingers — Neighbours and Schenn — wide open for the initial shot and the tip-in, respectively. I wouldn’t pin either of those on Knight, but rather on the breakdowns in front of him. Otherwise, Spencer made several impressive saves to keep the Blackhawks even in the game. He didn’t have to face 40-plus shots like Arvid Soderblom did against Detroit, but stopping 31 of 33 for a .939 save percentage is still an excellent night.

Game Charts

Three Stars

  1. Dominic Toninato (CHI) — 1 goal, 1 assist
  2. Oliver Moore (CHI) — 1 goal
  3. Gavin Hayes (CHI) — 1 goal

What’s Next

The Blackhawks are heading north to face the Minnesota Wild for the second game in a back-to-back on Sunday at 5 p.m.

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