The Blackhawks got what they needed out of their return home: a 4-2 win over the Blues, a much cleaner response after the loss to the Buffalo Sabres, and a start to a home stand that now carries real weight with eight of their next nine games at the United Center.
It came with some edge, especially with Patrick Kane back at the United Center, but Chicago handled it well enough to leave with two points against a familiar rival from St. Louis.
The biggest reason the Blackhawks were able to pull it out was Spencer Knight. Chicago had already talked about needing better work in its own end after the first three losses of the season, and Knight delivered the kind of performance that can steady everything around him. He stopped 26 of 28 Blues shots and was especially important in a third period when Chicago was getting outshot 14-4.
That kind of goaltending matters even more on a team this young. The Blackhawks are going to take their share of lumps as their roster keeps growing together, but Knight’s play gives them a chance to survive the rough patches.
There were plenty of encouraging signs from the younger group, too. Frank Nazar had his best game of the season by a mile, and it showed up in all the right spots. He drove hard to the net to create the rebound chance that led to Sam Rinzel’s power-play goal in the second period, then finished the night with the empty-netter that put the game away.
Artyom Levshunov also flashed the puck-moving ability Chicago believed it was getting when it took him second overall in 2024. Anton Frondell added a goal and an assist while logging nearly 19 minutes. For a night, the kids looked like a real reason to feel good about where this is headed.
But the same old issues still hung around. Chicago gave up its first goal after a bad neutral-zone turnover, and while Knight may have wanted that one back, the giveaway itself was the bigger problem.
Later, Nazar fell down on what would have been a 2-0 Blues lead, only for an offside call to wipe the goal away. That was a break Chicago could not afford to waste.
The Blackhawks did enough to keep things from slipping away, but they were still badly outshot after the game settled in. That’s the part of the learning curve that comes with a young roster: flashes of real promise mixed with mistakes that can flip a night in a hurry.
Now the schedule gets nasty. Chicago heads to Long Island on Thursday, then comes back to a seven-game stretch at home against the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, and Los Angeles Kings in order.
So yes, this was a good way to start the home stand. It was also a reminder that there’s still plenty to clean up.
The offense could use more punch, too, since two of the four goals came into an empty net. Still, the Blackhawks took the two points, and for a team this young, that’s no small thing.
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Blackhawks Young Core Delivered On Patrick Kanes Big Night
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Sam Rinzel and Anton Frondell were among the names that stood out in a game where the Blackhawks kept leaning on their emerging pieces in key spots. Rinzel helped spark the response on a second-unit power play, and Frondell followed soon after on a setup from Artyom Levshunov, a sequence that underscored why this roster is so closely tied to what happens next rather than what happened in the past. [Read more 🡒]
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The response carried extra weight because the Blackhawks had to chase the game after falling behind early, then steadied themselves and kept pushing until the outcome was secure. Even so, the mood around the win was tempered when coach Jeff Blashill said Teuvo Teravainen left with an injury and will not travel for the next game, leaving a spotlight on a victory that came with at least one fresh concern attached. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Kanes Return Arrives As Blackhawks Desperately Need A Spark
Patrick Kanes return to the United Center arrives at a moment when the Blackhawks could use almost anything to change the mood. Chicago is still looking for its first win of the season after opening 0-3, and the timing only sharpens the attention around a familiar face coming back into the fold after spending the past three-and-a-half seasons mostly with the Detroit Red Wings.
The setting adds even more weight, with the comeback coming against the rival St. Louis Blues in front of a crowd that remembers exactly what Kane meant to this franchise for so long. Chicago signed him to a two-year, $16 million deal in late July, and now the challenge is seeing whether his presence can help steady a team trying to keep early-season frustration from turning into something worse. [Read more 🡒]