After dropping their last two preseason games, the Blackhawks got back into the win column Tuesday night after defeating the Red Wings 4-2.
Corey Perry opened the scoring for the Blackhawks 2:09 into the first period, cleaning up a Jason Dickinson rebound.
The Red Wings tied it 1-1 just a minute into the second period with a goal from Joe Veleno. He cashed in on a slick cross-ice pass by Jonatan Berggren.
A Connor Murphy snipe beat the Wings goalie to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead with 4:30 left in the second period. Taylor Hall won the play and Connor Bedard set up Murphy at the point. Credit also to Wyatt Kaiser with his smart keep-in that kept the in-zone play alive.
The Red Wings tied the game again, this time 2-2, at about five minutes of the third period with Veleno’s second of the night.
Perry decided to add a second goal of his own, putting the Blackhawks up 3-2 at the midway mark of the final frame. Bedard collected his own rebound, passed to Hall across the high slot, and Hall set up Perry in close.
Bedard capped off the win with an empty-net goal with 1:09 left in the game.
Notes
- The Red Wings didn’t bring many players of note to Chicago while the Blackhawks iced close to what will be their opening night roster, but it took the latter team about halfway through the game before they stepped it up. Good to see them eventually control the puck in the back-half of the game, at least.
- It’s definitely going to take some time to get used to rooting for Perry. That ick feeling is still there tonight, despite his strong play.
- Bedard had plenty of nifty transition and offensive plays, but he also had some shaky moments as well — mostly when he tries to do too much. There’s no concern there, just pointing out that fans should expect some growing pains as he adjusts to the NHL despite being the highest touted prospect since Connor McDavid. I mean, Bedard adjusted in-game already, definitely getting more comfortable as the game went on.
- Bedard’s first preseason goal being an empty netter is amusing in some ways. Maybe this will open the floodgates.
- Hall had three assists tonight, but other than the pass on Perry’s second goal, they were the quietest assists ever. He was fine, but he hasn’t been particularly impressive this preseason either. But then, that’s not uncommon for vets at this time. Hopefully he and Bedard will build some strong chemistry when real hockey starts next week.
- Reichel looked excellent in this game, even if he didn’t end up on the scorecard. It’s going to be interesting to see who he ends up playing with regularly because that will play a major role in how productive he is this season.
- Kaiser was another standout tonight, and it’s looking like he’s pretty much a lock to making the opening night roster. The belief prior to the season was he’d start in Rockford to get his feet more wet when it came to profession hockey, but he’s made it very difficult for the Blackhawks to send him down. Luke Richardson has praised him at every opportunity, including postgame tonight:
- Vlasic played predominantly with Seth Jones on the top pair tonight and didn’t look out of place. His placement with the Blackhawks was all but guaranteed coming into the season, and while his training camp has been quiet, it’s also been steady, which is just the type of defenseman he is.
- Isaak Phillips also looked solid, showing some flashes of what made him a fan favorite in Rockford. I’m of the opinion that Phillips and the other two mentioned above should play a majority of the games in the NHL this season with guys like Nikita Zaitsev and Jarred Tinordi rotating in only when needed but we’ll see what actually happens.
- Petr Mrazek had one of his best games in a Blackhawks jersey tonight. As noted above, it wasn’t exactly against the best Detroit had to offer, but he still faced about 20 scoring chances, nine of which were high-danger, and performed well. Hopefully, we see more of this Mrazek this season and less of whatever he was doing last year.
- My Spanish is spotty at best — I can definitely ask where the library is — but I could listen to the Spanish announcers every night and understand almost perfectly.
Game Charts
Three Stars
- Corey Perry (CHI) — 2 goals
- Taylor Hall (CHI) — 3 assists
- Connor Bedard (CHI) — 1 goal, 1 assists