The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated in overtime by the Minnesota Wild in preseason game 1 in St. Paul last Saturday. Both teams mostly dressed AHL lineups for that one.
Then, on Monday, the Blackhawks defeated the Wild in overtime at the United Center. The Blackhawks had more NHL players in their lineup for that one, so it was a match they expected to play better.
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Now, they are set for a similar situation against the St. Louis Blues. It is a home-and-home preseason series, set to begin in St. Louis on Thursday. The difference is that there won’t be any more “all-AHL” lineups.
Scouting St. Louis
The St. Louis Blues will have a lineup with plenty of NHL players in front of their home crowd. That includes star players Pavel Buchnevich, Connor McMichael, Cam Fowler, and Jordan Binnington.
They won’t have their captain, Robert Thomas, or young stars like Jimmy Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway, but they will still be stiff competition with the lineup they do have. Their entire roster can be seen below:
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
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The Blackhawks will have Patrick Kane in their lineup for the first time during the preseason. This will be his unofficial re-debut after a couple of seasons away playing for other teams.
Other NHL players like Frank Nazar, Roman Kantserov, Nick Lardis, Oliver Moore, and Wyatt Kaiser will play as well. Drew Commesso and Arvid Soderblom are the two goalies going to St. Louis. The entire lineup can be seen below:
A player worth keeping an extra close eye on is Kevin Korchinski. He has been dialed in during camp, and he played extremely well in that all-AHL first preseason game. He deserves some run with NHL talent, which he will get in this preseason game against the Blues. If he is truly in the running for an NHL roster spot, which his spot in camp suggests he is, this is his chance to capitalize.
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Guys like AJ Spellacy and Sacha Boisvert are going to start in the AHL, but these games are a great way to show management that they are ready. Spellacy, in particular, is an early call-up candidate if he continues to rise up the ranks.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. You can watch the game locally on CHSN. The puck will drop shortly after 7:00 PM CT.
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