The St. Louis Blues came up short against the Dallas Stars with a 2-1 shootout loss on Saturday night. It will be a quick turnaround for the team as they are back on the ice Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
As nice as wins are in the preseason, the focus in these games is to get ready for the regular season or for some players to prove they belong on the Blues' roster. That they can contribute and help this team get back to the playoffs.
One of those players is former first-round pick Dalibor Dvorsky, who made his NHL debut last season, but it was only for two games. This season, the hope was that he could earn a bigger role in the lineup, but his chances certainly took a hit based on his performance on Saturday.
In the preseason game against the Stars, Dvorsky had almost 19 minutes of ice time but had only one shot with a team-leading four giveaways. He also had the most face-offs but won only 43% of them.
The St. Louis Blues should get Dalibor Dvorsky back on the ice against the Blue Jackets
It was a disappointing performance against the Stars for the top prospect, and the Blues shouldn't waste any time for him to turn around his preseason. Dvorsky looked great in the Prospect Showcase, and he needs to get back to that level if he wants to earn a roster spot with the Blues.
The biggest question for Dvorsky is whether he can impact the game when his shot isn't working. That is what he should be looking to put on display in this game, from winning face-offs to protecting the puck and not turning it over.
There is no question that not all is lost for the top prospect after one preseason game, but he can't waste too many more opportunities if he hopes to be on the ice next month when the Blues open the season against the Minnesota Wild.