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Keith, Hagel tally in Hawks first win of preseason; A look at where the roster stands after three games

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By Chris Block

Blackhawks’ fans got their first in-person view of their 2019-20 team as the preseason scene shifted to the United Center on Wednesday for the team’s third game in as many days.

Brandon Hagel capitalized on a fortunate bounce early in the second period and Duncan Keith blasted what would stand as the game-winning goal later in the frame as Chicago bested the visiting Detroit Red Wings by a 2-1 score before an announced crowd of 20,523.

Corey Crawford stopped 23 of 24 shots in his first action of the preseason. The 34-year old veteran, entering the final season of his six year contract, looked as sharp as he was forced to be, which wasn’t much.

The Red Wings sent top forward prospects Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno in for this game along with a veteran defense group that included Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson and former Blackhawk, Trevor Daley.  Wednesday also brought the debut of Detroit’s 2019 first-round draft pick, 6’4’ German born defenseman Moritz Seider, who was quite impressive.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane made their preseason debuts. Toews exhibited that extra gear and energy that propelled his comeback year last season, while Kane appeared to be a little disinterested and going through the exhibition motions most of the game. Toews was dominant in the faceoff circle as well, winning 16 of 20 draws. Kane assisted on Keith’s goal when all five Detroit defenders got caught watching Kane carry the puck and Kane found Keith pinching down the weak side, unchecked.

Adam Boqvist got his second look of the preseason and was even more impressive than he was in Washington on Monday. The Blackhawks may have already decided to give Boqvist some time to bake in the AHL, but his play so far should be making it a tougher choice. Boqvist handled first power play duties on Wednesday – Colliton showing enough confidence in the 19-year old to stack four forwards on that first unit with Boqvist, and relegating Keith and Brent Seabrook to the second unit. Boqvist handles the puck as clean as any Hawks’ blue liner. It’s a tough numbers game with the Blackhawks rostering so many defenseman who would need to clear waivers in order to be sent down to the AHL (Boqvist would not), but if we are setting a roster simply based on dressing the best team, there’s becoming less and less justification for Boqvist not making the team based on how he’s looked so far. The Blackhawks biggest issue will continue to be puck retrieval, getting the puck out of danger and moved up the ice quickly and efficiently – and in an offensive manner. Boqvist can help them do that in a way that Calvin de Haan, Carl Dahlstrom, Slater Koekkoek, Olli Maatta, Connor Murphy, Philip Holm or even Seabrook cannot. Keith can still do it when he wants to, but even he is becoming more of a wall banger. Erik Gustafsson is the best the Hawks had last year, but he also has riverboat gambler tendencies too often. Seabrook and Gustafsson were the only Hawks defenseman last year who could make a play carrying the puck, skating with their head up – and each have their own flaws. Becoming a better puck possession team begins with the defense being able to move the puck up to the forwards quickly and cleanly. Boqvist would help there. There’s no harm in Boqvist spending a month in Rockford, but if the Blackhawks want to be a playoff team this season, October is a critical month. After opening on October 4th in Prague, the Hawks will play eight of the next nine games at the United Center – and there are only a couple slouches on that schedule. After that, seven of their next nine are on the road. Colliton can’t afford to roster anything less than his best from the outset.

Colliton has seemed to tip his hand when it comes to the forward lines he’s eyeing for opening night. On Tuesday, he iced what is likely to be his second line fitting Andrew Shaw on the line with Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat. Who Kane and Toews play with on the top line may not be set in stone, but it sure seems like Colliton is giving Alex Nylander that spot to lose.

In Wednesday’s post-game media conference, Colliton sure made it seem like David Kampf in the middle of Brandon Saad and Dominik Kubalik will be his opening night third line.

Saad and Kubalik as part of a third line makes the most sense but the Blackhawks continued lack of center depth is exposed when Kampf is regarded as the team’s third best center. Kampf has never shown an ability to handle or distribute the puck in two full seasons with the organization. Making him Saad’s center will only nettle Saad’s weaknesses further and force he and Kubalik to create mostly on their own. Kampf is no Dave Bolland, who had a pedigree as a scorer in junior. At best, Kampf is a fourth liner and isn’t suddenly, at 24, going to become something he’s never suggested he could be. The Blackhawks need to look to the trade market to solve this problem because if either Toews or Strome is out for any significant amount of time, they will be severely hamstrung. It would be one thing if Kampf were an excellent face off guy or elite checker – which he is neither.

Wednesday’s outing was Chicago’s best of the preseason as should’ve been anticipated, considering the lineups.

Olli Maatta got his first action. Maatta is a slow, but dependable defender and shot blocker.

The Blackhawks decision-making in the years since winning their last Stanley Cup in 2015 has mostly been influenced, or focused on reimagining those Stanley Cup teams. Stan Bowman has been looking for his next Dave Bolland and Marcus Kruger – this is where a player like Kampf comes in.

But the acquisition of Maatta and desire to bring a Niklas Hjalmarsson 2.0 into the fold also shows an apparent disregard or misunderstanding of how the league is changing.  Maatta, himself, is not the problem. Having a defenseman like him as part of your top six isn’t necessarily a problem. Rather, adding Maatta and Calvin de Haan to a group that already has mobility and puck-handling deficiencies doesn’t solve puck retrievability and zone exits. When the Blackhawks were winning Cups they played at a pace that was faster most of the league. The league adjusted and now the Hawks are making moves to get slower while the game accelerates by the year. You don’t have to be the fastest skating team, but you must compete at the highest level and process the game and move the puck at a fast pace.

Detroit’s lone goal Wednesday came off the stick off 23-year old Calgary native Taro Hirose on a Red Wings’ first period power play. With Kane in the box for an accidental hi-stick, Detroit capitalized when Dennis Gilbert coughed up a puck he was trying to skate up the wall and get out of the zone. Trouble for Gilbert was he had no support, as Matthew Highmore stood by and watched him turn the puck over under pressure. Highmore then made a second mistake in getting caught puck-watching and leaving Hirose unchecked on the weak side and a shot intended for the net bounced off Brent Seabrook and right to Hirose for an easy empty-side look that Crawford had little chance on.

Two minutes into the second, Chicago had an Aleksi Saarela goal waived off when it was ruled re-directed by a stick above the crossbar. The call on the ice was no-goal and video review wasn’t conclusive either way and thus the review was short.

A minute and a half later Brandon Hagel was chasing dump-in when Jonathan Bernier went behind the net to play the puck, but had the puck jump off his stick and right to Hagel at the net. Hagel, 21, had an easy stuff in to tie the game 1-1 at 3:33 of the middle frame.

Seven minutes later, Chicago took the lead when five Red Wings got caught watching Kane carrying the puck inside the Detroit zone. Keith read the situation and pinched down to accept Kane’s feed at the top of the left circle and fired a slapper that beat Filip Larsson, who had just entered the game, on the first shot the new Red Wings’ goalie faced.

Chicago outshot Detroit 28-24 in the game and won the faceoff battle 60% to 40%.

The Blackhawks next preseason game is Saturday night when the Boston Bruins visit the United Center.

-Jeremy Colliton’s preseason game three lineup vs Detroit

Forwards

92-Alex Nylander / 19-Jonathan Toews / 88-Patrick Kane

20-Brandon Saad / 64-David Kampf / 8-Dominik Kubalik

95-Dylan Sikura / 36-Matthew Highmore / 28-Aleksi Saarela

59-Mikael Hakkarainen / 70-Tyler Sikura / 38-Brandon Hagel

Defense

2-Duncan Keith / 27-Adam Boqvist

6-Olli Maatta / 7-Brent Seabrook

39-Dennis Gilbert / 48-Philip Holm

Goal

50-Corey Crawford

33-Alexis Gravel

Power Play I: Nylander-Toews-Highmore w/ Kane & Boqvist
Power Play II:  Saad-Saarela-Kubalik w/ Keith & Seabrook

PK forwards: Kampf-Saad, Highmore-Toews, Sikura
PK defense: Maatta-Seabrook, Keith-Holm, Gilbert

Official Box Score
Event Summary

Thoughts and impressions

-Dominik Kubalik didn’t stand out nearly as much in his second preseason game as he did in his 2-goal performance in Detroit the previous night. But Kubalik still did some nice things. What impresses me most about Kubalik is his willingness to engage physically to make a play. He has good size (he’s listed at 6’2” 180) and he’s not afraid to use it. He used his body to fight off a check, bounce off then get a quality scoring chance at the net from the left circle. The shot went wide but his ability to do that suggests he’ll get his share of ‘dirty’ goals in addition whatever he notches with that nasty release of his.

-I asked to see more of Highmore and Sikura and apparently Colliton was thinking the same. If this was an audition game for Highmore – and considering he was on both the power play and penalty kill, it seemed to be – then he probably won’t be getting a part. Highmore had three shots on goal in 11:25 of ice time (8:55 at evens) and played a significant role in the Hawks one goal against. He was under water again at the faceoff dot as well – 3 of 8 in the game and 35.3% in two preseason games. Considering he missed almost all of last season with shoulder surgery, Highmore was a long-shot to make the Hawks out of camp. I’d keep an eye on him going back to Rockford, though. If he gets the big minutes in all situations as he should, Highmore could stake a claim for a recall when a position opens due to injury. Colliton definitely likes him so Highmore has a lot to gain by getting off to a big start in the AHL.

-That Maatta-Seabrook pair had a really good night but Seabrook didn’t find any foot speed over summer. This two would seem destined to be pinned inside their own end and leading the league in blocked shots if they stay together.

-Dennis Gilbert dropped the gloves and got the better of Givani Smith early in the third period. Gilbert had checked Adam Erne down to the ice moments early. Smith challenged Gilbert after jumping on the ice in place of Erne. With a crowded blue line, Gilbert doing here what he has to do to keep himself in the conversation for a call-up down the line. Gilbert is a solid all-around performer but doesn’t stand out in any area.

-After three preseason games now, the Blackhawks have got just about everyone who is healthy and in their camp into a game.

Kirby Dach (concussion) and Philipp Kurashev (aches all over) were injured in the final game of the Traverse City prospect tournament two weeks ago and are not cleared to play. Calvin de Haan is practicing and is expected to be cleared to play by the season opener in Prague.

The only other players who have not appeared in a game, and were destined for Rockford or Indianapolis anyway are forwards Tim Soderlund, Nathan Noel, Graham Knott – Joni Tuulola, Jake Ryczek and Jack Ramsey (4th line forward entire college career) on defense and goalie Alexis Gravel – who has already been reassigned to his junior team.

It would have interested me more to see Soderlund get a look rather than Hakkarainen – who played in the USHL last year, but Soderlund was going to Rockford either way.

-The list of guys who have played two of the three games shows you who is auditioning for roster spots or certain roles, and eliminates who is not.

Matthew Highmore, David Kampf, Dominik Kubalik, Jacob Nilsson, Alex Nylander, Brendan Perlini, Aleksi Saarela, Dylan Sikura and Anton Wedin among the forwards have dressed twice.

On defense, it’s been Adam Boqvist, Carl Dahlstrom, Dennis Gilbert, Philip Holm and Slater Koekkoek.

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Twitter.com/ChrisBlock
PuckChatter@gmail.com

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