ST. LOUIS — The Chicago Blackhawks rebounded to defeat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 at USG Arena to split the 2026 Prospect Showcase 1-1. The victory came one day after Chicago dropped the opener 3-1 to St. Louis, a game the team attributed to sloppiness and penalty trouble despite a strong effort.
Chicago started Adam Gajan in net for the second straight game and again had Taige Harding wearing the captain's C. Jake Furlong retained his A from the previous night, while Martin Misiak wore the other A in place of the absent Paul Ludwinski. The Blackhawks controlled the first period, outshooting the Blues 10-3 and taking a 1-0 lead on a goal from AJ Spellacy.
The 1-0 advantage did not last long into the second period. With 17:22 remaining, a shot through traffic tied the game at 1-1 for St. Louis, but Parker Holmes restored Chicago's lead just over a minute later with a snipe off a turnover. After a fight involving Harding — who left the penalty box at the next whistle with an apparent hand injury — Misiak scored his second goal in as many days to make it 3-1. With just over two minutes left in the middle frame, Spellacy finished a tic-tac-toe play for his second of the game and a 4-1 lead at the second intermission.
Harding returned for the third period and looked no worse for wear, an important sign as he aims to make an impact with the Rockford IceHogs. The final frame featured penalties and more fights, with Jakub Stancl scoring shorthanded for St. Louis — his second of the Prospect Challenge — to cut the deficit to 4-2. Martin Misiak answered with an empty-net goal to seal the 5-2 final. The group now heads to separate training camps to prepare for the 2026-27 season.