Blackhawks Gameday: 3 things to watch for versus Red Wings

Chicago Blackhawks @ Detroit Red Wings
Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
6 pm CT
TV: CSN+ (in market), ESPN+ (out of market)
Radio: WGN 720 AM, Blackhawks app

The Chicago Blackhawks will kick off their six-game preseason schedule against the rival Detroit Red Wings. Former Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill will bring a pretty young group with him for the first exhibition game of the year. Tonight is Detroit’s first of eight preseason games. That seems like too many.

Tonight will be the first time Blashill gets to see his team in game action. He admitted they might be a little tired after the strenuous first week of camp, but it will only prepare them for the long grind of an NHL season. He says there are two levels of evaluation for a preseason contest.

“One is a team level where we want to look at systematically the areas,” he said. “We had a little meeting after our scrimmage yesterday. We keep building our system game and then individual player stuff, both from a habits and fundamental side of stuff, and also just evaluating the guys and who’s making an impact and who’s not. Who creates opportunities, and who gives up opportunities? That’s what we’ll be looking at.”

Blashill confirmed that Arvid Soderblom will play the entire game in goal.

Big Chance for Colton Dach & Lukas Reichel

Heading into training camp, Colton Dach and Lukas Reichel were two of the players with the most to prove. Both should be concerned about the talent coming up through the prospect pool because they are in jeopardy of getting squeezed out of the organization. Tonight, they will get to play on the top line with Connor Bedard.

Dach’s biggest issue over the past few seasons has been staying on the ice. It felt like every time he got some momentum going, the injury bug bit him again. Blashill was impressed with what he saw out of Dach when he returned to action in the Calder Cup Playoffs against the Milwaukee Admirals last spring. He feels he can offer his lineup something few can right now.

“He can potentially end up being a really good NHL player in different spots in the lineup,” Blashill said of Dach. “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he ended up in a top-six spot. He’s got enough skill to play with good players. Where he can separate himself more than anywhere else is being a big power forward. By being physical on the forecheck, by being hard at the net front, and by adding some team toughness.”

Reichel must prove he is still worth something to this organization, now more than ever. It’s been two full seasons since we saw him end the 2022-23 campaign on a point-per-game pace, and he’s never been able to recapture that form.

“He’s a skilled player, so it gives him a chance to play with some good, skilled players,” Blashill said of Reichel. “For Lukas’ case, again, the impact you make on the game. You can’t give up a bunch defensively because it’s really hard to outscore your mistakes. But you have to create. If you’re on a top line like that, you ultimately have to create. It’ll be interesting to see how the line goes, and it's a good first game to evaluate.”

Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov, Together Again

It certainly feels that the defensive pairing of Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov is all but set for opening night. Last season, they played together in Rockford and with the Blackhawks. They have spent much of training camp attached at the hip, and they will be the top pairing for tonight’s preseason opener.

Kaiser and Levshunov should get a lot of minutes tonight. Kaiser will likely be on the top penalty kill unit, while Levshunov will get a chance to run one of the two power plays. As Blashill says, I’ll be looking for this young duo to make an impact on the game. Play like a No. 1 defensive pairing. With the overall team speed the Blackhawks have tonight, they should excel on breakouts and zone exits.

Kevin Korchinski Needs a Fast Start

There is no reason to go over Kevin Korchinski’s first two professional seasons. He enters his third season trying to earn a spot on the NHL roster after spending much of last season with the Rockford IceHogs. General manager Kyle Davidson has already laid out the groundwork on if he needs to spend more time in the American Hockey League.

“He’s got an opportunity to make this team, but he’s still very young, and if he doesn’t, Rockford’s a great option,” he said. “I think something with a player like Kevin, confidence, and that willingness to go out and make plays is going to be a big part of his success in pro hockey and in the NHL. We want to make sure that there’s. We want to make sure he’s doing everything he can to play to his strengths. So he’s still very much in the developmental stage of his career. If he shows he’s ready for the NHL, then he’ll be here. If there are some things we feel he needs to work on and continue to grow and play really big minutes, and in every situation, then Rockford’s available to us. Again, it's not a step back.”

I covered the playoff series against Milwaukee and was impressed by what I saw out of Korchinski. He looked confident with the puck and did not shy away from contact. I want to see him carry that into tonight’s game. He’ll be paired with Louis Crevier, who covers a lot of ground, so he should use his speed and ability to create off the rush to his advantage.

Probable Blackhawks Lines

Forwards

Colton Dach-Connor Bedard-Lukas Reichel
Oliver Moore-Frank Nazar-Aidan Thompson
Joey Anderson-Ryan Greene-Sam Lafferty
Marek Vanacker-Dominic Toninato-Jack Pridham

Defensemen

Wyatt Kaiser-Artyom Levshunov
Ethan Del Mastro-Sam Rinzel
Kevin Korchinski-Louis Crevier

Goaltenders

Arvid Soderblom
Drew Commesso

Red Wings Roster

The Red Wings did not skate specific lines for tonight’s game this morning, but they did release their roster. They, too, will begin the preseason with a very young lineup.