The St. Louis Blues wrapped up their preseason with a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. It was a wacky one, with goals called back, a clock not working, resulting in a Blackhawks goal, and an interference call that cost the Blues a goal.
Here are the three biggest things to take away from this preseason finale, as well as a look into the next few days leading up to the start of the 2026-27 season.
Finally over
The summer is finally over. The preseason is finally over. The past era of the Blues is finally over.
This final game of the preseason was a complete transition from the old era into the new era of this franchise. With a new General Manager, a new captain, and a bunch of new pieces to make up the core group, the upcoming regular season is going to look and feel a lot different.
Blues were better team on paper
This was a wacky game, as the Blues lost despite being the better team all around. They outshot the Blackhawks 31-22 and outhit them 25-21, but did not outscore them 3-2.
Overall, the Blues looked solid, despite losing defenseman Logan Mailloux early on in the game. They rallied, kept it competitive, and maintained some solid chemistry with all of the moving parts.
This is a great sign for the season, even if Mailloux does miss some time. Another defenseman can step up and take his place alongside first-liner Philip Broberg.
Short term memory next week
The Blues finished the four-game accelerated preseason 1-3-0, with five goals scored over the four contests. Even though it did not count, this final loss against the Blackhawks on Saturday night was a bad one to have, and the hope is that this franchise has some short-term memory for when the regular season starts on October 2 in Dallas.
These next few days are going to be crucial, as it is the final break in the action before the 2026-27 regular season starts. Over the course of training camp and the preseason, this group banded together and tried to create a new identity with the new pieces gained over the summer. The small number of preseason games made it difficult for head coach Jim Montgomery to really experiment with different combinations or allow certain combos enough time to grow some life.
Next time the Blues step on the ice, it will be for real, and everything will be counted. That is what all Blues fans should have taken away from this recent loss.
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