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Chicago Blackhawks
Colton Dach — Connor Bedard — André Burakovsky
Teuvo Teräväinen — Frank Nazar — Tyler Bertuzzi
Ryan Donato — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Ryan Greene — Lukas ReichelAlex Vlasic — Sam Rinzel
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy
Louis CrevierArvid Söderblom
St. Louis Blues
Jake Neighbours- Robert Thomas – Pavel Buchnevich
Dylan Holloway – Brayden Schenn – Jordan Kyrou
Mathieu Joseph – Pius Suter – Jimmy Snuggerud
Alexandre Texier – Nick Bjugstad – Nathan WalkerCam Fowler – Colton Parayko
Tyler Tucker – Justin Faulk
Phillip Broberg – Logan MaillouxJoel Hofer
Injury Report
Chicago Blackhawks
Nick Foligno is away from the team. Landon Slaggert and Joey Anderson are on IR. Laurent Brossoit (hip) and Shea Weber (retired) are out long term.St. Louis Blues
Torey Krug is on IR. Alexey Toropchenko is out. Oskar Sundqvist is day-to-day.Last season: Chicago vs St-Louis 0-2-1 1 PTS
Welcome, my friend, and thanks for your comment! I agree with you about the lost points against Boston and Montreal — they definitely deserved better results in those games.
Now, I’m not a big fan of the 7-defensemen setup either. I understand Blashill’s reasoning, and he managed the TOI well last night, but it’s usually not an easy approach. Most defensemen prefer playing with rhythm and consistency in their pairings, which can be hard to maintain with a rotating seventh D. It might work short term, but over a long stretch, it can become disruptive.
Also, with a busy schedule ahead and the Olympic break coming, this setup could put extra strain on the forwards. Still, Blashill is clearly experimenting to find the right balance for this young group, and for now, it’s helping him spread experience across the lineup.
You’re right about Lafferty — those two penalties against Montreal really hurt the team. I’m not sure if Blashill specifically requested him or if Davidson brought him in without much input, but it’s clear that, so far, Lafferty and Reichel don’t seem to be part of Blashill’s long-term plan. It feels like only a matter of time before one or both get moved. If Moore or any of the IceHogs players step up over the next few weeks, that could accelerate things. The organization wants to give younger guys more opportunities, and Blashill seems committed to building the right group for his system.
Big win tonight! Knight was outstanding, the third line delivered, and it’s the first win for Bashill. Not perfect, but a win is a win!
@LAHawk: Thanks for your question and great observation.
I reviewed the goal several times, and honestly, the entire sequence was a mess. The Blackhawks’ defensive coverage broke down completely — there was confusion, poor communication, and bad positioning, starting with Foligno. At one point, you can literally see four Hawks lined up together with only one player up top (#28).
Let’s go through it in detail:
1️⃣ The Setup:
Suzuki rims the puck down low to Hutson. Bedard is the high forward, and three Hawks collapse low in front of the net — that’s fine at first. Foligno is down low with Burakovsky and Rinzel, while Vlasic is a bit too far up on the right side.2️⃣ The First Breakdown:
As Hutson gets the puck along the boards, the Hawks should switch from a box +1 to man-to-man coverage. Bedard recognizes it and moves toward Hutson, but Foligno drifts toward Rinzel instead of holding his lane. That movement causes confusion — Burakovsky ends up as the high forward, which is a good reaction to maintain defensive balance after Foligno went too low.(stuck in front of the net)3️⃣ After the First Shot:
Hutson takes a shot that’s blocked, and the rebound lands near Bedard. He tries to clear the puck, but Caufield intercepts. Montreal quickly resets in a 2–3 formation, while Chicago collapses into a 1–4 shape, which leaves too much space up top.4️⃣ The Secondary Sequence:
Caufield shoots again, creating a rebound in front. Now Hutson becomes the bumper, Vlasic is behind Hutson and cover Suzuki too, and Foligno is planted in front. Rinzel is covering Slafkovsky, while Bedard is simply watching the play develop. Hutson kicks the puck to Suzuki — Vlasic is close to him, but Hutson makes a strong play to push the puck through.At that moment, Burakovsky goes lower to help defend Suzuki even though Vlasic is already there. Bedard’s positioning improves slightly, but Guhle is left completely alone at the blue line. Suzuki finds him, and Guhle’s shot goes in after deflecting off Rinzel’s skate.
5️⃣ Final Breakdown:
At the time of Guhle’s shot, the Hawks had reset into a box +1 — but they were too tight together, leaving the entire top lane open. The whole problem started with Foligno being too low in the zone and the team failing to communicate. Three Hawks collapsed in front, no one covered the high point, and that’s how Guhle found the space to score.Unlucky deflection, yes — but the root cause was positional confusion, led by Foligno’s misread and a lack of defensive communication.
Here’s your improved reply 👇
Good point, Chunk. You’re absolutely right about Perreault and Peca — both bring great experience to help the young centers develop. Of course, there are rare exceptions like McTavish and Celebrini who came into the NHL and performed well in the faceoff circle right away. But for most young centers — Bedard, Nazar, Carlsson, Fantilli included — it takes time, strength, and experience to adjust at this level. Thanks for sharing your insight!
Game Update:
Levshunov will be a healthy scratch tonight, while Crevier draws into the lineup and joins Kaiser on the second pairing. Lukas Reichel is set to make his season debut, skating on the fourth line. Meanwhile, Jason Dickinson will be sidelined for at least one week due to injury.
