The Blackhawks had a long weekend on the road as the calendar flipped to October, falling in back-to-back preseason games on Saturday and Sunday nights. With the team now halfway through their six-game preseason slate, a few takeaways have begun to take shape.
Samuel Savoie
In perhaps the biggest news of the weekend, the worst-case scenario occurred when 19-year-old prospect Samuel Savoie crashed into the boards and was stretchered off the ice Saturday with a femur injury. He underwent successful surgery Saturday night, but it looks like he’ll be out for a long time. Though Savoie looked to be headed to the Gatineau Olympiques, it’s a tough break for a player I was pretty high on heading into the season.
A Tale Of Three Goalies
Arvid Soderblom goaltended the entire game Saturday for his only preseason thus far and looked solid. He saved 29 of 31 chances in regulation and let in the overtime winner. It’s unclear how many more chances he’ll get before the regular season kicks off, but from what we’ve seen, he looks more than ready to be a full-time NHLer.
Drew Commesso got his second chance of the preseason Sunday night, playing 27 minutes. He didn’t see many shots, but saved 10/11 of them and logged a pretty good night. Before him, though, Jaxson Stauber had a tough night. He let in five of 23 shots for a .783 save percentage, though he was busy with the puck in his zone all night. He’ll head to Rockford sometime in the next week, where the 24-year-old will hope to continue developing into a reliable option in net.
Korchinski (Again)
Kevin Korchinski skated on the Blackhawks’ top line Saturday before getting Sunday off and continued to show why he’ll be a polarizing player if he stays in Chicago this year. His offensive ability is off-the-charts - though he didn’t score Saturday, he logged four shots on goal and looked aggressive and skilled in the attacking end.
On the other hand, Korchinski continued to show that his defensive abilities leave a bit to be desired for now. He was beaten on Minnesota’s second goal of the night and has been caught out of position multiple times throughout the two games. He’s still 19 years old, and that defensive wherewithal will come with experience. Nevertheless, he’s still got plenty of work to do in order to be as reliable defensively as he is spectacular offensively.
Connor Bedard!
Bedard was finally back on the ice Sunday night, where he was held off the scoresheet. However, his impact was definitely felt. His average shift length over 18 shifts was 1:09. Note - the average is usually around 45 seconds for forwards. Alex Ovechkin, who’s on the ice more than any forward in the league, averages right at a minute, per Hockey Answered. Translation: Bedard is out there all the time, which is good news for the Blackhawks. Obviously.
This jaw-dropper was all over NHL headlines last night:
Finally, Bedard and Lukas Reichel skated on the top power-play unit, which is really, really exciting if you’re looking at the next ten years. Could this be the next Kane-Toews duo? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But the upside is certainly enormous.
The Blackhawks have today off and will return to action at the United Center on Tuesday against the Red Wings.
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