Postgame Musings: Blackhawks get dominated by Red Wings at 5-on-5

The Chicago Blackhawks dropped their first preseason game, 3-2 to the Detroit Red Wings. They got a power-play goal from Connor Bedard and a third-period tally from defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. Goaltender Arvid Soderblom was the star of the game by making 40 saves. New head coach Jeff Blashill will have plenty of teachable moments to show in the video room before hitting the ice again on Thursday.

Connor Bedard Impresses in Season Debut

All offseason long, we saw videos of Bedard training with San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini. His goal was to become faster, and it sure looks like he accomplished that. He was all over the ice on his first few shifts. Yes, he was playing against a bunch of guys who will be in the American Hockey League by the end of the week. However, if he didn’t look dominant against them, you’d be very concerned.

Bedard got the jump from the very first shift, setting up scoring chances for Lukas Reichel and Colton Dach early. His power-play goal in the second period showed a shoot-first mentality. There were too many times during his first two seasons when he passed up a scoring chance to dish it off to a teammate. If Bedard keeps this killer instinct all season long, he could be in store for a huge year.

Bedard’s only shot on goal found the back of the net. He only had one other shot attempt. At 5-on-5, the Blackhawks produced five scoring chances while he was on the ice, while allowing five. He had an encouraging night at the dot, winning seven of his 10 faceoffs.

“Top Pairing” Struggles Versus Red Wings

One of the three things I was watching closely tonight was the defensive pairing of Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov. Throughout training camp, it has felt like this will be a pairing on opening night. Their preseason debut was not something to write home about, but it’s one exhibition game.

Something felt off for much of the night. The reads were off early, and the Red Wings seemed to target the duo on the forecheck, and it worked. Levshunov also got himself out of position on a second-period power play that led to a shorthanded breakaway. He also took a holding penalty because he stopped moving his feet.

However, the duo got the game tied in the third period. Levshunov did what he does best: confidently carried the puck out of the zone and down the ice. He patiently waited for Aidan Thompson to enter the zone, who found Kaiser. Oliver Moore set a great screen in front of Sebastian Cossa to help the puck over the goal line.

They both finished the night with a 19.05 Corsi for percentage (CF%). Levshunov was on the ice for nine high-danger scoring chances against, while Kaiser was on the ice for seven. There is ample practice time for these two to shore things up and improve.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• The Blackhawks got owned at 5-on-5. The Red Wings dominated in every possession category. They had a 46-23 shot attempt advantage, 32-14 in shots on goal, 22-11 in scoring chances, and 13-7 in high-danger scoring chances. That is bad. Really bad. Even for the first preseason game. But, to put it in perspective, this was a young lineup only six days into learning a new defensive system. It will look better with more practice time and a few more veterans on the ice—nothing to panic about.

• Part of the reason the Blackhawks were successful early in the game was that they were playing on their toes. We didn’t see that same jump after the first intermission. The Red Wings had a 21-6 shot attempt advantage at 5-on-5 in the second period. Blashill said he expected his guys to be tired after a strenuous start to training camp, and he wasn’t wrong.

• Fundamentals have been a key focus during the first few days of camp. Blashill had to be proud of how crisp the passing looked early in the game. The Blackhawks were moving the puck quickly through the neutral zone. A series of quick passes drew the tripping penalty that led to the Bedard power-play tally.

• Blashill feels Dach’s best path to long-term NHL success is being a power forward. We saw a lot of that tonight. Not only did he dish out a game-high six hits, but he seemed to be in front of the net and in the middle of every post-whistle scrum. Message sent, message received.

• Reichel got a chance to play with Bedard for the entire game. After a fast start to the game, his performance became less noticeable as the night progressed. He had just one shot on goal on one attempt. Blashill wanted to see him make an impact, and it wasn’t there for most of the game. Not a great start for a guy trying to earn a roster spot.