The Chicago Blackhawks finished their preseason slate of games with a match against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
Chicago ran with a mostly-AHL lineup against the Blues, who played a large number of players who will be on their opening night roster.
The Blackhawks kept it close in the first period, to the point where they reached the intermission 0-0. St. Louis outshot Chicago 9-6.
It was in the second period that the Blackhawks looked like the lesser team with the lesser lineup. They were outshot 11-2 and outscored 3-0. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Milan Lucic, and Robert Thomas scored for the Blues.
In the third period, the Blackhawks kept pace with the Blues again (outshot 11-10), but the Blues added an Otto Stenberg power play goal for the 4-0 lead. That would hold as the final score.
Arvid Soderblom took the net for the Blackhawks. The team was outmatched in front of him, which led to him giving up four goals on 31 shots. From his earlier games in the preseason with better lineups involved, he proved that he’s ready to be Spencer Knight’s primary backup.
It is fair to assume that none of the players who played in this game forced the hand of the coaching staff when it comes to making the opening night roster. Anything they believed going into this game likely still stands.
Outside of Soderblom, one defenseman and one forward, every player who appeared in this game is going to be sent back down to the Rockford IceHogs.
That’s it. Next time, they count. The Blackhawks will make decisions and have their roster ready for the NHL’s first day of the season. Chicago will be in the first game on the first day (Tuesday), as they will take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
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