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5 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 6-3 preseason loss to the St. Louis Blues, including a brief Patrick Kane scare and end-of-the-bench players making an impression with their fists

Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune
·7 min read

Just like the score, the Chicago Blackhawks matched about half of the St. Louis Blues’ intensity during a 6-3 loss Friday night at the United Center.

The Blues were playing their fourth preseason game, and the Hawks their second, with a good portion of Hawks making their preseason debut (including Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury).

“It looked to me tonight we had a bunch of guys playing their first games,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “Obviously they’ve played a few. The difference in the details was noticeable. We got better at times, we had some spurts where we started to do the things we need to do to have success, but it just wasn’t enough.”

Patrick Kane gave fans a bit of a scare when he skated off after his first shift, but he returned to the ice about 6½ minutes into the game.

“He got a little cut on his hand from a skate,” Colliton said. “I didn’t know what was going on when he left, but obviously it was minor, he came back. He missed the power play, which I don’t think he was happy about.

“Dodged a bullet there.”

Here are five takeaways from the game.

1. Dylan Strome took an unusual route to help boost his value.

A big part of maintaining your worth as a center — if, like Strome, you prefer center over wing — is winning faceoffs, and Strome won 78% of his puck-drops Friday night.

His secret: He learned how to juggle during the offseason.

“Just juggling, literally, three balls and juggling,” Strome said. “It’s helped create my left hand following the ball, left eye.”

Strome, a lefty shooter whose left hand is low on faceoffs, said he needed to create more left-hand dominance to improve that hand’s speed.

“If there’s one thing I can do to help myself play center, be in the opening night lineup, it’s faceoffs,” he said.

Strome seemed to descend the forward hierarchy last season and played on the third line with Ryan Carpenter and Alex Nylander.

It’s preseason, but games and training camp practices can be indicators, and Strome seems to understand what’s at stake.

“I’m just staying positive,” he said. “I mean, the last two camps I think I came in and started with Kane and (Alex) DeBrincat right away. You never know what can happen during the season, a lot happens, it’s a long season.”

2. The power play, which has undergone some tinkering, went 1-for-3.

DeBrincat’s power-play goal in the second period put the Hawks on the board, and while that’s not all that unusual, their method of attack was.

The Hawks are trying to employ more movement, switching positions and changing angles to force penalty killers to make more reads and defend more ice.

As a penalty killer, Ryan Carpenter has been on the business end of the new-look power play in training camp.

“It’s just super unpredictable,” he said. “When you get in that second half of your shift your legs start burning and you’re starting and stopping, I think that’s really hard. When they’re moving like that it’s unpredictable.”

The Hawks added a couple of new scoring threats in defenseman/quarterback Seth Jones and bumper Tyler Johnson to the top unit trio of DeBrincat, Kane and Jonathan Toews.

“I think all five of those guys are capable of making elite plays,” Carpenter said. “They’re all elite players. Going against them in practice is a pain. I get tired quick.”

3. Calvin de Haan revealed he played through a broken leg last season.

The Blackhawks defenseman (who assisted on Ryan Carpenter’s goal Friday) fractured his tibia while blocking Ondrej Palat’s shot during a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 5.

De Haan quipped Friday how “I’m old in hockey years, which kind of sucks,” but later added, “Not many people know this, but I played with a broken leg last year and didn’t miss a game.”

He pointed to his left leg and explained: “It was the head of my tibia (that) was fractured, so it was probably a good spot. It didn’t feel good for two or three weeks there, but I think skating was actually easier than walking around, to be honest.

“I know that sounds kind of contradictory, but the motion of walking and pounding was a little different than the fluid motion of skating. Lot of Advil, lot of Tylenol.”

De Haan just let his leg mend on its own.

“Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t shattered, but there were fractures in it,” he said. “It was enough to put me in pain here and there. Not much of a rehab, just kind of ice it and let it heal.”

De Haan wasn’t supposed to still be in Chicago this season, according to most expansion draft projections that had the Seattle Kraken selecting the 30-year-old veteran, who has a $4.5 million cap it.

De Haan, who’s entering his third season with the Hawks, said he didn’t give much thought to the rumors.

“Sorry, fans, I’m still here,” he joked.

4. The ‘A group’ could afford to give a half effort, but some of the depth guys were out to make an impression — with their skating and their fists.

Reese Johnson and Dmitri Osipov were dishing out hard checks and harder blows with each picking a fight. (Not that anyone’s keeping score, but Osipov throttled Tanner Kaspick.)

But it was the overall play of their line, along with Jakub Pour, that drew Colliton’s notice.

“They had an impact on the game. They were physical,” Colliton said. “They gave us some momentum with the fights there. They played well, they gave us some offensive zone shifts and had a couple chances, so that was nice to see.

“They’re big, skate well, strong on the puck, and sometimes a simple game is what you need, especially against a team that’s big.”

5. Center prospect Colton Dach had an important moment — off the ice.

Dach, whose brother is Hawks center Kirby Dach, made his mark Friday, but it was inking a three-year entry-level contract, which carries an $870,000 salary cap hit.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “We told my dad (Dale) last night when we found out and it brought a tear to his eye. It’s a very humbling moment for my family and myself and it’s just an awesome feeling.”

Colton Dach confirmed that he wanted his trade from the WHL Saskatoon Blades to the Kelowna Rockets of the same league.

“I just wanted a change of scenery and I’m very excited to go to Kelowna and prove myself there,” Colton said. “I think just the experience of being able to skate with guys like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and obviously Kirby, it’s awesome to be out here and see how they act on a day-to-day basis, and I can bring that back to a young team in Kelowna and help them grow their game.”

Having an older brother on the team has other benefits.

“He can show me around, he can tell me if I need to pick up something or do something more,” Dach said. “It’s really nice to have him and obviously when you go back (from the rink) you’re not just going back to an empty hotel room, you’re going back to hang out with your brother.”