The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, Dec. 13 in an Original Six matchup. Fittingly, the Blackhawks celebrated the old Chicago Stadium with lots of pomp, circumstance and hoopla before the game.
But it was Red Wings’ Alex DeBrincat who scored the first a goal of game, just 55 seconds in. The secondary assist was credited to none other than Patrick Kane. At the 4:35 mark, Kane himself scored, assisted by DeBrincat. It was Kane’s 498th career goal. Just like that, these two former Blackhawks had ruined the party.
Related – Red Wings’ Kane & DeBrincat Multi-Point Night Blanks Blackhawks in 4-0 Win
The Red Wings never looked back from there. Emmitt Finnie added to the lead in the second period, and DeBrincat scored again with an empty net goal in the third to blank the Blackhawks, 4-0. Here are three takeaways from the game.
Lardis Makes NHL Debut
The Blackhawks struggled offensively due to the absence of Connor Bedard, who was out of the lineup due to a shoulder injury he sustained the previous night, against the St. Louis Blues. More details should be known about the extent of Bedard’s injury on Monday (Dec. 15). But the good news is top prospect Nick Lardis was called up in his stead.
“I know for sure Connor’s not playing the night,” said head coach Jeff Blashill before the game. “So we just felt like it (the Lardis call up) gives us another potential offensive guy that can come in and provide some scoring punch. You never know how guys are going to come in and play. But ultimately, I don’t want him to tip his toes into the water; I want him to jump right in.
Lardis did just that, and it’s safe to say his NHL debut was a success. He recorded two shots on goal, eight shot attempts, five hits and one blocked shot in 15:32 minutes of ice time. He also logged 4:52 minutes of time on the top power play unit, where his shot off the crossbar was the closest the Blackhawks came to scoring all night.
Nick Lardis hits the crossbar on the power play. He has 6 shot attempts in this game. Looking very comfortable and confident. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/BPDjlKDyTE
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 14, 2025
After the game, Lardis talked about debut and what it meant to him.
It was pretty special. Obviously, playing against Detroit, Patty Kane in the building. It was a lot of fun. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, but it was pretty special … You know, builds a lot of confidence in my game. Especially my first NHL game, getting those looks and opportunities, it’s awesome; builds a lot of confidence going forward.
Coach Blashill did indicate after the game that Bedard won’t be on the upcoming three-game road trip to Canada, so we’ll get to see Lardis build on his successful debut.
The Kid Line
Due to the game the night before, the Blackhawks didn’t have a morning skate before facing the Red Wings. Therefore, we didn’t know until warmups what the forward lines would be with Bedard out and Lardis in. Many (including myself) thought the lines would be balanced out with a mixture of veterans and kids. It turns out Coach Blashill decided to take a little bit different route.
Related – Connor Bedard Injured, Blackhawks Recall Nick Lardis
Frank Nazar moved up to top line center duties, with veterans Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky as his linemates. Lardis was deployed with rookies Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore. Lardis and Moore are both 20 years old, while Greene is 22 years old. Blashill explained his thought process on this after the game.
I wanted them to all be comfortable. I wanted him (Lardis) to be comfortable. I think sometimes when you come up and play your first game, you start deferring. He’s played with Mooresy this year, Greener, they’re similar ages, so just come up and just play. And I thought they did a good job of that.
Coach did actually joke that it was debatable whether we agreed with his thinking. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Lardis-Greene-Moore line had two shots for to five shots against versus the Red Wings. They also had three shots attempts for versus eight attempts against, and were on the ice for one goal against (the goal by Finnie).
That’s not exactly a vote of confidence for this line. They have speed and an offensive punch on their line, but lack experience and defensive responsibility. We shall see moving forward what kind of tweaks are made to balance out the forward lines.
Back-to-Back Games Still a Conundrum for the Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have now lost all four games of their first two back-to-back contests of the season. Last weekend, they fell 6-0 to the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 6 and 7-1 to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 7. This weekend, they lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Blues and 4-0 to the Red Wings.
Granted, the recent losses are are little closer than the blow outs from the previous weekend. And the Red Wings loss came without Bedard in the lineup. But losses are losses once it’s all said and done. The team talked about preparing for these and finding ways to play better even if they were tired. But so far they haven’t been able to overcome this obstacle.
With the condensed schedule due to the Olympics in February, the Blackhawks have six more back-to-back contests for the rest of the season. They will face the Dallas Stars on Dec. 27 (away game) and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 28 (home game). The team will then have two more back-to-backs in January and three in March. It will be interesting to see how this young squad fares with this as the season progresses.
Related – Blackhawks’ Prospect Nick Lardis is Equipped for 1st Pro Season
The Blackhawks have lost four of their last five games, and currently have a record of 13-13-6 (32 points), which sits outside of a wildcard spot in the Western Conference. They will embark on a three-game Canadian road trip to Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa starting on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Can they gain some wins without Bedard in the fold? We shall see. Keep it here at The Hockey Writers for all the latest Blackhawks’ news, updates and analysis.
