TAKEAWAYS: Blackhawks End Preseason with Loss to Blues

Prior to tonight’s tilt against the St. Louis Blues, head coach Luke Richardson knew that the matchup would answer some questions with more roster cuts looming before the season opener on Tuesday.

With some roster spots still open among the bottom six forward positions, the contest allowed some opportunity for players to showcase a fighting effort to earn those last few spots. While the team brought in some heavy veteran presence with Nick Foligno and Corey Perry, Richardson emphasized how important it is to have players like Reese Johnson and MacKenzie Entwistle, due to their experience with the Blackhawks over the last few seasons.

Some players that caught the second-year head coach included Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips with their assertive style of play and knowledge of the team altogether.

“I think we have some experience that we brought in, but we have some of those guys that have been around a few years, I think it's time they need to make a step,” Richardson said. “I think tonight will be another opportunity to show that they could take that step and be able to secure a spot in here.”

However, the Blackhawks would end their last preseason contest with a 5-3 loss against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.

The Blues scored first in the night and took the lead early in the first period with a score of 2-0. From there, Lukas Reichel would help put the Blackhawks on the board to make the score 2-1 by the end of the first period.

With two more goals from Joey Anderson and Entwistle, it still would not be enough to try and catch up to St. Louis’ lead.

With a few more roster decisions left to make, the team will now turn its’ focus to the season opener on Oct. 10 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After Richardson and staff make the final roster, he hopes that they can bond together on the five-game road trip and build strong chemsitry from the foundation they created last season.

“We've had a really good group last year here, I thought, really tight group and that's kind of a good foundation to start from and bringing in some really good veterans who are going to help,” Richardson said. “They're not just good veterans on the ice. They're great people and I think that's going to be a not easy mesh because you need time, but it'll be a good mix.”