Did you wake up smiling today? Happy that the Bears won (two weeks in a row) and the Blackhawks won two preseason games over the weekend?
Don’t worry, I’m not here to rain on your parade. Soak it in. I’m not sure how the Blackhawks will look once the season starts, and who knows what’ll happen with the Bears. They head into the bye 2-2. I certainly didn’t expect that.
Let’s recap the Hawks’ weekend, shall we?
Blackhawks 4 - Blues 2
I won’t spend too much time here. The Blackhawks didn’t ice a serious roster. The only players of note in this one were Kevin Korchinski, Nick Lardis, Colton Dach, Oliver Moore, and Lukas Reichel. Not that I think these players could turn into something special, but they’re players I kept my eyes on.
Lardis had three shots on goal, five shot attempts, and three scoring chances. We’ll get to Lardis in a second (he was sent down to Rockford on Monday).
Lukas Reichel had a better game and looked solid with Lardis. Reichel had two shots on goal, five shot attempts, and three scoring chances. He also had a 75.94% expected goals share (xG%). Just don’t be surprised if Reichel is included in a trade of some sort. You can read about my thoughts on Reichel here, and despite a good game from him, I didn’t really change my mind.
Blackhawks 4 - Wild 1
You can read up on the full recap at On Tap Sports Net (coming out sometime today), but man—that was fun. Frank Nazar scored a hat trick and reminded millennials that we’re getting to that age—he did what the kids call a “6 7.” Connor Bedard launched a beautiful pass to grab the assist on Ryan Donato’s goal. And we got a little bit of a clearer picture of how head coach Jeff Blashill wants to play.
Let me add a caveat: the Blackhawks did get outplayed in analytics (they had a 35 Corsi and a 33.8 xG%).
Blashill seems to be okay with having his defensemen play a little more aggressively. Pinching and getting involved in the offensive zone, standing up at the blueline, joining the rush, etc. We saw some of that in Sunday’s game. Luke Richardson (and interim Anders Sorensen) played a very passive and safe system. The way Blashill seems to be headed is a more aggressive style that will open the Blackhawks to chances against, but it’s a style of hockey that will eventually lead to winning hockey (way down the road).
I wrote a little more about Kevin Korchinski in my recap and shared the below screenshot, but it bothers me that Tyler Bertuzzi opted to dump the puck in vice giving it to Korchinski.
I’m definitely in the minority here, but I’m still leaning towards keeping Korchinski in the NHL. At least, let’s just see at first. Just a peek. I know his defensive game still needs work and his physicality still lacks, but it’s the type of offensive opportunities that will be available to him in the NHL instead of playing against meatheads in the AHL.
Of course, I could totally be wrong. I am most of the time.
Lardis
Okay, I promised Nick Lardis.
He got sent down to Rockford on Monday. Not surprising considering he didn’t register a single shot attempt, shot on goal, or scoring chance in Sunday’s game. Frank Nazar was sent to Rockford after a disappointing training camp last season, and I believed that Nazar shouldn’t have gone.
With Lardis, I can see why he gets the demotion. Even though he scored 71 goals in the OHL last season (a league where everyone can score), we do want to see him score at the professional level. But he needs to dominate in Rockford much like Nazar did. He needs to force a call-up by December. If he doesn’t, I’m not going to buy into the hype.