The Chicago Blackhawks scored four unanswered goals in the third period to earn their first preseason win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. Dominic Toninato led the way with a goal and a primary assist, while Gavin Hayes, Oliver Moore, and Jason Dickinson (EN) also found the back of the net. Spencer Knight stopped 31 of 33 saves in his preseason debut to earn the win in net.
The Blues iced a lineup filled with NHL regulars, including Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, Colton Parayko, Cam Fowler, and Jordan Binnington. Top prospects Jimmy Snuggerud, Justin Carbonneau, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Adam Jiricek also played. The Blackhawks had more NHL players than they did in their preseason opener, with Jason Dickinson, Ilya Mikheyev, Connor Murphy, and Matt Grzelcyk in the lineup, in addition to youngsters like Nick Lardis, Ryan Greene, Oliver Moore, Lukas Reichel, and Kevin Korchinski. Still, there was a pretty clear skill gap in favor of the home squad.
The Blues held the advantage in the early going, but the young and scrappy Blackhawks’ group battled back for an impressive 4-2 win in enemy territory. Even if it’s only the preseason, a win against the Blues is always sweet — especially against most of their NHLers.
Let’s dive into the recap, highlights, and the best & worst players.
FIRST PERIOD
The Blues opened the scoring less than six minutes into the game, as Dvorsky rifled a shot through Louis Crevier’s wickets and past Knight to make it 1-0.
SECOND PERIOD
It didn’t take long for the Blues to double their lead out of the first intermission, as Brayden Schenn scored a tap-in goal 53 seconds into the middle frame. Not a great defensive sequence for Murphy and Ethan Del Mastro.
The Blackhawks were on their heels for the opening half of Saturday’s game, but Knight remained poised in net to keep the game within check.
THIRD PERIOD
The Blackhawks started building momentum in the final moments of the second period, as they created several quality looks on their two late power-play chances. Still, they remained scoreless entering the third.
But after continuously knocking on the door, the Blackhawks finally got on the board with a sneaky wrister from Toninato on top of the right circle.
Toninato remained on the ice for the very next shift, and he made a great effort play to win a foot race to a loose puck and set up Hayes for the game-tying goal. Just like that, the score was tied 2-2 after two goals in just 27 seconds.
Dominic Toninato➡️Gavin Hayes🚨
Toninato gets his 2nd point of the period by setting up Hayes to tie the game 2-2! Two goals in 27 seconds for the #Blackhawks. 4th line is doing WORK tonight!pic.twitter.com/fi9K8mY3Ax
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) September 28, 2025
The craziness didn’t stop there, as with just over three minutes to play, Moore raced into the offensive zone and roofed a shot for the game-winning goal. The sequence started with a hit from Colton Dach in the neutral zone that forced a Blues turnover. Suddenly, the Blackhawks held a 3-2 advantage.
Jason Dickinson added the empty-netter for good measure to seal the 4-2 win. Four answered goals and quite a statement from the Blackhawks.
Blackhawks Studs
THE 4TH LINE
With the Blackhawks reeling through the opening 30 minutes, the fourth line of Toninato, Hayes, and Martin Misiak kick-started the comeback effort by stringing together strong consecutive shifts in the offensive zone. Up to that point, the Hawks struggled to generate any sustained zone time.
Toninato was excellent in his second preseason game, tallying two points with a plus-two rating in 13:27 of ice time.
Hayes scored the game-tying goal in the third period and added one hit in 11:57.
Misiak was also one of the top performers on Saturday, finishing with three shots on goal and a 72.46 xGF% at five-on-five in 13:32. He was also on the ice for five high-danger chances for and only one against at even strength.
All three players are set to open the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL with Rockford, and they should be starting the season with some great confidence after their performance together on Saturday. They were instrumental in the Blackhawks clawing their way back from an early hole.
LUKAS REICHEL
Reichel was one of the more disappointing Blackhawks in the preseason opener against the Red Wings, as he failed to capitalize on his opportunity on the top line with Connor Bedard. But Reichel bounced back massively on Saturday, serving as arguably the most dangerous player on the ice for the visitors.
Despite finishing without a point, Reichel’s speed and skill were evident all night long, especially in the second half of the game. Reichel finished with a team-high 75.94 xGF% at five-on-five and tallied two shots on goal in 14:38. That’s the type of performance head coach Jeff Blashill is looking for in a “make-or-break training camp” for Reichel.
COLTON DACH
Dach’s physicality was once again on display, as he led the Blackhawks with six hits and got in a fight with Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux. During the time of the scrap, the Blackhawks were still trailing 2-0, and that energy certainly played a part in the team’s performance the rest of the way.
In one of the weirdest series of events you’ll ever see, Dach also recorded a pivotal hit at center ice on Oskar Sundqvist that forced a turnover and led to Oliver Moore’s game-winning goal. A skirmish ensued following Dach’s hit, but the officials never blew the whistle, and Moore roofed a shot to put the Blackhawks ahead 3-2. That doesn’t happen without Dach’s check.
In my opinion, Dach cemented his spot on the NHL roster with his performance on Saturday. His unique skill set and numerous ways to provide a spark to his squad fill a needed role in the lineup.
OLIVER MOORE
Moore’s speed allowed him to have a handful of quality scoring chances against the Blues, and he finally buried one in the final minutes of the third period. Moore also led the team with four shots on goal and made a few strong defensive plays in 15:39 of ice time.
Blackhawks Duds
The Korchinski-Allan Pairing
I don’t think Korchinski or Allan played poorly by any means, but they both also failed to stand out on the back end for the Blackhawks. Korchinski made a few nice plays in transition, but he wasn’t very noticeable for most of the night. Allan was in that same boat.
The two young defensemen are likely to begin the season in the AHL, but a strong performance against the Blues could have pushed them closer to the NHL roster. Personally, I don’t think either did enough to change the coaching staff’s perspective on their starting spots.
Ethan Del Mastro
It’s been a rough start to the preseason for Del Mastro, as he was on the ice for the Blues’ second goal and had several breakdowns in the defensive zone. I did think EDM picked up his play as the game carried on, but it still hasn’t been the start to 2025-26 that he was looking for. Currently on the bubble for an NHL roster spot, he’ll need to pick up his play to earn a spot on the blue line.
UP NEXT
The Blackhawks play the back end of their weekend back-to-back on Sunday in Minnesota against the Wild. The game is scheduled for 6 pm CT at Grand Casino Arena and will be televised on CHSN+ and FDSNNO.
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