The Chicago Blackhawks opened up the preseason portion of their schedule with a road tilt against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

The Blackhawks used an incredibly young lineup, but it included players like Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, and Artyom Levshunov, who all expect to impact the team when it counts. 

Carter Mazur opened the scoring with a power-play goal to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead. The Blackhawks' new-look penalty killing system under head coach Jeff Blashill looked good at first, but it had a bad ending. It will take some time to get used to being that aggressive and avoiding the mistakes it can create. 

Early in the second period, however, the Blackhawks got the game tied with a power play goal of their own. Connor Bedard blasted a one-time shot into the net off a beautiful feed from Sam Rinzel. This connection may happen quite a bit with the man advantage in 2025-26, and it's off to a fine start. Frank Nazar collected the secondary assist. 

Just under two minutes later, the Red Wings took their lead back thanks to a goal scored by Nate Danielson. They held that lead for quite a while. 

At 6:26 of the third period, Aidan Thompson made a great feed to Wyatt Kaiser, who didn't miss with a wonderfully placed shot. Artyom Levshunov, who made a nice play to get it to Thompson in the first place, collected the secondary. 

The Blackhawks relinquished the lead to the Red Wings one more time when Emmitt Finnie scored the go-ahead goal. The 3-2 score stood as the final. 

The Blackhawks were lucky to even be in the game. It was the goaltending performance of Arvid Soderblom that kept them in it by making 40 saves on 43 shots. The Blackhawks only had 17 shots, which explains how lopsided the play actually was. 

Soderblom is expected to be the backup to goalie Spencer Knight this year. He's already in mid-season form based on his play against the Red Wings. If he had even played five percent worse, the Blackhawks would not have had a chance to win the hockey game. 

If any skater deserved extra praise, it is Connor Bedard. While wearing an "A" on his sweater, Bedard was more than just a goal scorer in this game. Just about every time he had the puck on his stick, especially early, he created a scoring chance. He looks faster, stronger, and more dialed in. 

When watching the game, it is clear that Jeff Blashill's defensive system is a bit complicated. The Blackhawks are going to take some time learning it, especially when they go against other teams. Inserting some veterans should help as the preseason goes along. 

Chicago's next exhibition tilt will come on Saturday when they hit the road again to take on the St. Louis Blues.

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