Oliver Moore @STL for a preseason game. Credit NHL Chicago Blackhawks Credit: NHL Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks scored four unanswered goals in the 3rd period to defeat St Louis in the second preseason game.

First Period:

The Chicago Blackhawks came out of the gate firing quickly, recording three quick shots. This included an Oliver Moore chance in front just over two minutes in. The momentum quickly dissipated after Dalibor Dvorsky, a Tom Kurvers standout, buried a shot from Juraj Pekarchik and Cam Fowler, past Spencer Knights’ stick side to give St Louis an advantage.

The Blues would grab the momentum by its horns as Pekarchik nearly potted one himself at the halfway point. A minute later, Chicago would give up a netfront scramble where Spencer Knight bailed out his defense. He made a wonderful save on Robert Thomas. With a chance to regain some footing after Dvorsky was sent to the box, the best chance on the Power Play ended up resulting in a Mathieu Jospeh breakaway. Knight again stood on his head for this one, showing his potential as a future star of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Second Period:

The second period started a continuation of the first as Brayden Schenn touched one behind Knight. He was left wide open on the backside. The pressure kept piling on after Lardis served a steaming hot pizza up the middle for Neighbors. However, the Dark Knight came up clutch once again. Off the subsequent faceoff, Pavel Buchnevich was robbed not once but twice by Spencer.

Big Louis Crevier got called for holding. This resulted in the first Penalty Kill of the night for the Blackhawks. Rather than letting the floodgates open, it was killed, albeit with close calls over the two minutes. Immediately after, Colton Dach and Logan Mailloux treated us to a fight with a little over 5 minutes remaining in the period. Off two consecutive penalties, a holding and too many men, Chicago failed to capitalize on their chances. The “Too Many Men” penalty bled into the final frame, setting up a crucial moment for the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Third Period: 

However, the 3rd period began with St. Louis finishing off their penalty kill. Further salt in the wound was to come as Connor Murphy was then sent to the sin bin for the Chicago Blackhawks. Like the first Chicago power play, the Penalty Killers had the best chance of the kill as Sam Lafferty found himself alone on a breakaway. Will Cranley stepped up big. He shut the door on Laff.

After pressing for a much-needed goal, it would be Dominic Toninato with a hard wrister from the point to give Chicago life. Just 27 seconds later, Toninato set up Gavin Hayes. Hayes was wide open in front to even the score.

The Blackhawks’ first tally was one of the more bizarre goals I have ever seen. Colton Dach laid a massive hit at center ice on Oskar Sundqvist. As a result, a large scrum formed around Dach. During the commotion, however, the whistle was never blown. This allowed Oliver Moore to walk down Main Street and give the Blackhawks a surprising victory.

Jason Dickinson tallied the final empty netter. This made the final score 4-2 Hawks and added excitement to the Chicago Blackhawks’ fanbase.

Cowboys’ 3 Stars Of The Game 

Dominic Toninato: 1G 1A 2P, 13:32 TOI,  W

Oliver Moore: 1G (GWG) 0A 1P 15:39 TOI, W

Dalibor Dvorsky 1G 0A 1P, 15:19 TOI, L    

Cowboys Round-Up and What’s On Tap

To say that this win is ugly is an understatement. The Blackhawks were outplayed for 50 minutes against the Blues, and if it weren’t for Spencer Knight’s heroics throughout the game, the scoreline could’ve and arguably should’ve been much uglier. Players like Korchinski and Lardis demonstrated that the AHL should be the next step for them. Another letdown was Lukas Reichel, who disappointed me in this game.

For every bad, there is good, and Oliver Moore continues to look exceptional in his play, not only driving the power play but also showing exceptional hockey IQ on the game-winning goal. Other notable players included Martin Misiak and Gavin Hayes. On Tap for the Hawks is the Minnesota Wild tomorrow at Grand Casino Arena. Puck Drop at 5 pm Central.