Hinostroza stands out in Blackhawks loss to Blues
Before the Blackhawks fell to host St. Louis 5-2 on Thursday in their second-to-last preseason game, coach Joel Quenneville went on WGN 720-AM and said it's the players who do “the little things” right who will make his team's opening-night roster.
Goals and assists are nice, Quenneville said, but his staff has always wanted his players to play a 200-foot game.
Certainly one of the most noticeable players Thursday was Vincent Hinostroza, the Bartlett native who buzzed around the ice all night.
His most impressive sequence came early in the first period when he grabbed the puck from a Blues player deep in the Hawks' zone. Moments later, Hinostroza took a pass from Viktor Tikhonov and fed Brandon Mashinter from behind the Blues' net. Mashinter easily snapped a shot past Jake Allen to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead.
Hinostroza was later robbed on a one-timer on the power play midway through the third period and later started a good scoring chance for Kyle Baun.
One of the big reasons Hinostroza might not break camp with the Hawks is that the coaching staff would want him to get more seasoning in Rockford, much like Teuvo Teravainen did last year before coming up and playing a pivotal part in the team's Stanley Cup run.
Either way, he's stood out in each of his three preseason games and appears to have a bright future.
Dennis Rasmussen scored the other goal for the Hawks at 3:34 of the first period. Marko Dano and Ryan Hartman registered the assists.
The Hawks' special teams were abysmal as they failed to cash in on 7 power-play opportunities and allowed a pair of shorthanded goals. They were also 0-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Scott Darling played the entire game in net for the Hawks and stopped 19 of 24 shots.
Most of the Hawks regulars had the night off. Marcus Kruger did make his preseason debut, getting 13:47 of ice time.
“I'm happy to be back on the ice and get a game in,” Kruger said during the second intermission.
• After the Blues won Thursday, the teams played a 3-on-3 overtime period, but neither team scored.
• Coach Joel Quenneville told reporters that Artemi Panarin, who is coming back from an upper-body injury, did practice Thursday. Panarin is expected back soon.
• A Patrick Kane bobblehead is listed among the giveaways fans can look forward to this season. They will go to the first 10,000 fans who enter the United Center on Jan. 24 when the Hawks host the Blues.