{"id":33795,"date":"2025-12-13T23:25:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T05:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/12\/13\/blackhawks-powerless-to-stop-patrick-kane-red-wings-in-first-game-without-connor-bedard\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T23:25:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T05:25:19","slug":"blackhawks-powerless-to-stop-patrick-kane-red-wings-in-first-game-without-connor-bedard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/12\/13\/blackhawks-powerless-to-stop-patrick-kane-red-wings-in-first-game-without-connor-bedard\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks powerless to stop Patrick Kane, Red Wings in first game without Connor Bedard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blackhawks powerless to stop Patrick Kane, Red Wings in first game without Connor Bedard<\/h1>\n

Introduction to the Game<\/h2>\n

Red Wings forward Patrick Kane skated into the United Center on Saturday \u2014 after the Blackhawks\u2019 latest centennial ceremony \u2014 with the attitude that it was his house and his party.
\nThe Hawks, without their leader in Connor Bedard and their official captain in Nick Foligno, proved powerless to stop him in a 4-0 shutout loss.
\nKane pushed the visiting Wings out to an early lead by assisting on a goal by Alex DeBrincat in the first minute and scoring his 498th career goal four minutes later before his defense and goalie John Gibson locked things down.<\/p>\n

The Impact of Kane’s Performance<\/h2>\n

\u2018\u2018It\u2019s definitely strange, but if you\u2019re a guy that has had such an impact on a city like [Kane], he\u2019s going to have those types of games where you hear cheers for him scoring,\u2019\u2019 Hawks forward Ryan Donato said. \u2018\u2018[He\u2019s] obviously a crazy talent, and it\u2019s cool to play against him. At the same time, it\u2019s something you want to see as little as possible on the other side.\u2019\u2019
\nIt\u2019s worth noting both early goals were rather soft and arguably should have been saved by Hawks backup goalie Arvid Soderblom, who has struggled in his last four starts (0-4-0 with an.830 save percentage).<\/p>\n

Struggles Without Bedard<\/h2>\n

The Hawks unsurprisingly struggled to generate offense without Bedard. NHL debutant Nick Lardis took Bedard\u2019s spot on the top power-play unit and ripped a shot off the crossbar in the third period, one of the Hawks\u2019 few good chances.
\nLardis took a team-high eight shots while skating on an all-rookie line with Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene. Head coach Jeff Blashill said he did that so Lardis wouldn\u2019t feel compelled to defer to anyone.<\/p>\n

Recent Performance<\/h2>\n

The Hawks have won only three of their last 13 games, including none in six games in back-to-back sets. After another disappointing set this weekend, evidence continues to grow that those are a major Achilles\u2019 heel.
\n\u2018\u2018When you lose some of that scoring punch that Connor gives us, it should heighten our awareness of how good we\u2019re going to have to be defensively,\u2019\u2019 Blashill said.<\/p>\n

Stadium Tribute<\/h3>\n

The Hawks\u2019 big pregame ceremony \u2014 their third of the centennial season \u2014 focused on the legacy of the old Chicago Stadium. A season-high, over-capacity crowd of 20,751 lapped it up, which was good because they got little else to cheer about.
\nRetired public-address announcer Harvey Wittenberg, organist Frank Pellico and soloist Wayne Messmer returned to re-create the atmosphere of the old venue. Former general manager Dale Tallon gave a short speech, and Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios and other players from that era joined the current Hawks on the ice for the national anthem.<\/p>\n

Brossoit\u2019s Moment<\/h3>\n

Rehabbing veteran goalie Laurent Brossoit enjoyed a magical moment in his third conditioning start for Rockford on Saturday: an empty-net goal.
\nIt took a truly impressive 190-foot shot to get it, too, sealing the IceHogs\u2019 5-3 victory against Milwaukee and making him the 25th goalie in AHL history to score a goal.
\nHe is 2-1-0 with a.900 save percentage in three AHL starts on a conditioning stint that technically will end next week. Because of his prohibitive $3.3 million salary-cap hit, however, the Hawks probably could get him through waivers to extend it if they wanted.
\nThey\u2019ve been trying to find a new home for him via trade, but it\u2019ll be interesting to see whether Soderblom\u2019s recent struggles open their minds to a different outcome.<\/p>\n

Canucks Waive Reichel<\/h3>\n

The Canucks put former Hawks forward Lukas Reichel on waivers. He had one point (an assist) in 14 games with them.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The Blackhawks’ loss to the Red Wings marked a disappointing start to their first game without Connor Bedard. Patrick Kane’s impressive performance and the team’s struggles without Bedard highlight the challenges they face moving forward.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n