The Chicago Blackhawks were routed by the Detroit Red Wings 6-1 at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday in their third preseason game.
Here are 10 observations from the loss:
1. Connor Bedard made his second preseason appearance. He was held off the scoresheet, but he did flash again and gave us this highlight:
2. Bedard logged 18 shifts. His average shift length was 1:09. The typical average is about 40-45 seconds. Did you hear he loves hockey?
3. Jaxson Stauber had a tough night, although he was very busy in his first half of action. He gave up five goals on 23 shots for a save percentage of .783. Drew Commesso, who was scheduled to play the second half, entered the game with 7:06 left in the middle frame but he didn't see his first shot until the third period. He turned aside 10 of 11 shots for a save percentage of .909.
4. The Blackhawks generated quite a few chances on the power play, which included a 5-on-3 opportunity in the second period, but they couldn't convert on any of them. They went 0-for-6 and finished with eight shots on goal. I'm not too worried about it yet.
Chicago Blackhawks
5. Alex Vlasic was ejected from the game in the third period for kneeing Elmer Söderblom — the younger brother of Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Söderblom. I didn't think it was malicious and warranted a game misconduct, but I don't mind the call just to send an early message to players around the NHL going into the regular season that anything close will be called.
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6. There weren't a ton of positives from the first half, but I'll highlight one from the second half: Louis Crevier scored his first goal of the preseason with a wicked shot from 35-feet out. He scored one similar during the prospect showcase in Minnesota. The 6-foot-8 defenseman's got an underrated shot.
7. Lukas Reichel had a strong early shift in the first period and overall looked good again. He was also much better in the faceoff circle, winning 9 of 16 draws for a percentage of 56.3 after losing 6 of 7 on Thursday.
8. Wyatt Kaiser is becoming a gadget-type defenseman. He can play on the power play, the penalty kill, and in this game, the Blackhawks put him on his off side so Ethan Del Mastro can play on his left. Kaiser didn't look out of place.
9. Bedard and Reichel skated together for the first time on the top power-play unit, and it was hard not to watch and think about how they could be driving that unit for the next decade. Imagine if I showed you this picture a year ago:
10. The Blackhawks announced before the game that prospect Sam Savoie underwent successful surgery on his right femur in Minnesota on Sunday. He is expected to make a full recovery, according to team physician Michael Terry.
