The ice wasn’t great at the United Center last night. The Blackhawks players and head coach wouldn’t use it as an excuse — “both teams played on it” as Luke told us after the game — but it wasn’t great. And the guys we talked to after the game admitted they were still getting their legs under them in the first preseason. Connor Bedard joked that he thought he had the best training summer of his life and was gassed a few times. So take the entire experience last night in the Blackhawks’ preseason-opening loss with a grain of salt that this was not the opening night roster and we’ll see improvement from every guy who skated last night.
Teuvo Terรยคvรยคinen was asked about returning to the United Center after almost a full decade as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
- After the 4-2 loss to the Red Wings last night, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson was asked who stood out in the game and he immediately brought up AJ Spellacy. Craig Smith was asked about playing with him and he had a huge smile, complimenting his speed and physical play. Connor Bedard said it was fun to watch a younger guy get his first taste of the NHL. I keep preaching patience with Spellacy because he’s still young and has a lot to learn. But you can’t teach the fearlessness he had on the ice last night. He played hard and he played well. He hit and got hit. And it got everyone’s attention — again.
- I asked Richardson what he thought about Kevin Korchinski‘s performance last night after the game. He said there were a couple instances of Korchinski handling the puck too much but overall he liked his game. I thought Korchinski was arguably the best defenseman on the ice for the Blackhawks last night (I almost made him one of my three stars). According to Natural Stat Trick, Korchinski was on the ice for a team-high 10 Blackhawks’ shots on net at even strength in 18:42 total ice time (2:51 of which was on the power play). I said it last night and still think it this morning: Korchinski needs to make a strong impression and last night was a good start.
- Richardson was also asked about the night from Frank Nazar. The numbers didn’t like him nearly as much as they liked Korchinski; in his 11:58 on the ice at even strength the Blackhawks were out-shot 13-2. He took a penalty and was minus-two in the game. BUT he won six of ten faceoffs, his effort improved as the game progressed and he spent time on both the power play (2:25) and penalty kill (1:41). Richardson said he thought Nazar was very good on the penalty kill. Nazar did create a short-handed scoring chance in the third. So some good, some not great. First game of the preseason: okay. A performance to build on.
- I spoke with Smith after the morning skate about being on the “right” bench for the anthem for the first time. He told me it’s the best tradition in the league and loves it. He had a strong game last night and was my No. 1 star. Ben Pope wrote a nice piece about him returning to (near) where he grew up. I think Blackhawks fans are going to enjoy Smith this season.
- Smith complimented Ryan Donato‘s game last night, and Richardson talked about him being a good pro earlier in the day. Donato’s fighting for a spot in the top 12 forwards in camp, and he’s doing it while having the birth of his first child coming at any moment. I can’t imagine having the pressure of winning a job on me like he has… while being on the clock with a child coming.
- I’ve mentioned a few times here that there’s a lot of stuff flying around social media on AI bots and aggregator sites that take quotes or social media posts out of context and turn them into clickbait headlines that do an awful disservice to those of us who try to do an honest job of bringing you reality and, most of all, fans who want a straight story about their favorite team. Mark Lazerus kinda sorta mixed a few words in a way that got them misconstrued terribly on Wednesday morning and hoo boy did the interwebs love the rumor it started… He doubled back and clarified the point.
- The Kings were in Vegas last night and this is a really tough look for Drew Doughty. The future Hall of Famer goes into the boards awkwardly and the end result is not, not good. Don’t watch if you don’t like people in pain. This certainly does not look good and puts the Kings in a really tough spot. They already need a bottom-line center and might need to replace a franchise icon for a while, too.
- According to Frank Seravalli on Thursday morning, “Doughty sustained a left ankle injury. Initial quick x-ray showed a fracture, but he’s scheduled for additional imaging today. Hope is that it is only a fracture and not additional structural damage.” Seravalli added the timeline at this point is TBD.
- Finally, Derrick Rose announced his retirement early on Thursday morning. He’s a legit legend. Chicago born and raised, No. 1 overall pick, youngest MVP in NBA history… he was the goods. Huge respect to him for battling through more than his share of disappointing injuries to still carve out a meaningful second act in his career.