Taylor Hall missed the majority of last season after undergoing ACL surgery in late November
The Chicago Blackhawks lost their third consecutive preseason game after falling to the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime on Saturday at Enterprise Center.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. The Blackhawks got off to a hot start after scoring a pair of goals in the first period and looked to be in total control. They bent but didn't break in the second, but that wasn't the case in the third period, where the Blues tied things up at 2-2 and eventually sealed the deal in overtime. Unfortunate result.
2. The Blackhawks had 25 giveaways. The Blues had 26. For context, the Blackhawks averaged 8.5 giveaways per 60 minutes last season, which ranked seventh-most in the NHL. That's preseason hockey for ya.
3. Petr Mrazek played the whole game and was excellent despite the outcome. He made 32 saves on 35 shots for a save percentage of .914, a few of which were Grade A stops. Through two preseason games, Mrazek looks to be in midseason form.
4. This was the first preseason game for Philipp Kurashev, who didn't have to shake off any rust. He scored the opening goal of the game, recorded a secondary assist, and had three shots on goal, which was tied for the team lead. Solid preseason debut.
5. Taylor Hall also shined for the Blackhawks. He fed Kurashev a nice little sauce pass on the first goal and picked up a primary assist on Pat Maroon's power-play goal to make it 2-0. The Blackhawks led 9-1 in shots on goal when Hall was on the ice at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick.
Chicago Blackhawks
6. Nice gesture by the Blackhawks to slap the "A" on Maroon's sweater in his return to St. Louis, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2019. As mentioned above, Maroon also scored on the power play, which drew some cheers after his goal was announced.
7. Chicago's pairing of Nolan Allan and Ethan Del Mastro had a strong first period together. When the two of them were on the ice together at even strength, the Blackhawks allowed zero shots on goal and zero scoring chances. They've developed some good chemistry together in the AHL.
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8. Frank Nazar and Kevin Korchinski have each played in all three preseason games so far. Nazar has been terrific in the team scrimmages but he hasn't played particularly well in the preseason games. Korchinski led all skaters with 26:24 and also had a team-high eight shot attempts. I expect both of them to start the season in the AHL, although Korchinski could be with the Blackhawks if they don't have enough healthy bodies. Wyatt Kaiser is currently banged up and has missed the last few days of practice.
9. Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno are the only two players who haven't participated in a preseason game yet. I expect them to play at least two of the final three, if not all three, as the Blackhawks prepare to trim down their roster and get ready for Opening Night.
10. With AHL training camp starting on Sunday, the Blackhawks sent seven players to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs: Forwards Gayin Hayes, Paul Ludwinski, Jalen Luypen and Marcel Marcel, defensemen DJ King and Austin Strand, and goaltender Ben Gaudreau. Nick Lardis was also sent back to the OHL's Brantford Bulldogs. The training camp roster is now at 41 players.
