The St. Louis Blues are off to a hot start in the 2022-23 preseason. After defeating the Dallas Stars last night, 4-0, the team is now 2-0. Tonight, they’ll be traveling northeast to the United Center to face-off against the Chicago Blackhawks at 7:30 PM.
The team has a few players that have come out the gates on fire: Logan Brown (three goals, one assist), Josh Leivo (two goals, one assist) and Jake Neighbours (two goals, one assist). Goalie Thomas Greiss pitched a shutout in his first official appearance as a Blue as well.
The team has announced that a more veteran-heavy lineup will be taking the ice against the rival Blackhawks, with Ryan O’Reilly, Brandon Saad, Brayden Schenn, Jordan Kyrou, Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk, and Jordan Binnington all set to play tonight. Let’s set the stage for preseason game No. 3.
Blues Anticipated Lineup
Forwards
- Brandon Saad – Ryan O’Reilly – Jordan Kyrou
- Jake Neighbours – Brayden Schenn – Klim Kostin
- Matthew Highmore – Nikita Alexandrov – Tyler Pitlick
- Brayden Guy – Dylan McLaughlin – Nathan Todd
Defense
- Scott Perunovich – Justin Faulk
- Nick Leddy – Matt Kessel
- Tyler Tucker – Griffin Luce
Goalies
- Jordan Binningon – Vadim Zherenko
Blackhawks Anticipated lineup
Forwards
- Taylor Raddysh – Jonathan Toews – Tyler Johnson
- Andreas Athanasiou – Max Domi – Patrick Kane
- Buddy Robinson – Cole Guttman – Colin Blackwell
- Michal Teply – Josiah Slavin – Samuel Savoie
Defense
- Alex Vlasic – Seth Jones
- Kevin Korchinski – Connor Murphy
- Ethan Del Mastro – Caleb Jones
Goalies
- Petr Mrazek – Alex Stalock
Quick Look at the Blackhawks
This will be the Blackhawks’ first game of the preseason. This team is sporting a bit of a new look in step one of their full rebuild. Forwards Alex Debrincat and Kirby Dach were traded during this draft this summer, while franchise faces Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both seem to be playing with one foot already out the door. From an outside perspective, it appears that this franchise is attempting a total tear down, and from the summer they had, a fresh start is about the only thing that could save this franchise at the moment.
Who to Watch
St. Louis Blues: Klim Kostin
There are definitely more exciting players to watch (Kyrou, Neighbours, O’Reilly, Perunovich, Faulk), but perhaps none of them have more on the line this preseason than Klim Kostin. He’s got a legitimate chance to make this roster but needs to show that he can play a full 200-foot game and not take any shifts off. He has all the tools to be a real power forward at the NHL level, but he has yet to show it all at the same time. He played in the first game against the Arizona Coyotes but registered zeroes across the stat sheet.
Related: Blues’ Kostin Could Lose Roster Spot Due to Bottom-6 Competition
Chicago Blackhawks: Max Domi
In an offseason of major departures, Max Domi is arguably the Blackhawks’ biggest acquisition. The 27-year-old center is entering his eighth season and is playing for his fifth different organization. Throughout his up-and-down career, he has yet to replicate the success he had in 2018-19 with the Montreal Canadiens (28 goals, 72 points in 82 games). But he’s shown enough to believe that he still has that type of ceiling as a player. His 1-year, $3 million contract is essentially a prove-it deal for the young veteran. He’ll look to get off to a good start in Chicago and possibly make himself an attractive trade deadline piece.
How to Watch
Blues fans will be able to watch this game only on ESPN+ (subscription required). You can also hear tonight’s matchup on 101 ESPN as well as the Blues App.
