Blackhawks at Red Wings: Lineup, Notes, Players To Watch

Tonight some players on the Chicago Blackhawks will play their first game of the preseason. After the Hawks 4-2 loss to the Red Wings on Wednesday, tonight’s matchup with the Wings in Detroit will be interesting to see how Chicago answers.

Chicago is bringing a more rookie heavy team to Detroit for tonight’s matchup. Nazar, Spellacy and Korchinski will all get their second cracks at the preseason and goaltender Arvid Soderblom will get his first start of the year.

Blackhawks Projected Lineup:

Reichel-Nazar-Lardis
Dach-Guttman-Hayes
Slaggert-Spellacy-Smith
Sanford-Ludwinski-Anderson

Korchinski-Brodie
Allan-Crevier
Phillips-Strand

Soderblom
Gaudreau

Notes:

Lukas Reichel is making his preseason debut tonight. The big thing to note here has to be how he plays. Before traveling to Detroit, Luke Richardson shared with the media what advice he offered to Reichel.

“I told him just to be confident, shoot that puck and take over that game,” Richardson said.

This roster is a lot younger than the one Blackhawks fans saw on Wednesday. While Wednesday’s group was more looking to get a feel of the game and get ready for the season, this group has a lot of players looking to prove themselves.

Players to Watch: Dach, Korchinski, Soderblom and Nazar

Colton Dach entered training camp trying to prove he belongs in the NHL. His first test of the preseason comes tonight in Detroit. How he plays on the second line alongside Guttman and Hayes could set the tone for Dach’s season – expect a physical high energy game tonight.

Kevin Korchinski is one of a few players playing again tonight. Both Korchinski and Frank Nazar had some good moments and some bad moments in the first preseason game. Neither had an amazing night to earn them a spot on the roster come October. This is another big test to see how they respond in big time roles.

Lastly, Arvid Soderblom is in an interesting spot with Laurent Brossoit out with an injury. All of a sudden Soderblom goes from being the presumed IceHogs starter to potentially starting the year with Chicago. Soderblom didn’t have a strong season last year, can he answer?

Look Back:

The Blackhawks and Red Wings most recently squared off on Wednesday with the Red Wings winning 4-2. Chicago lost the special teams battle, failing to score a power play goal and giving up a goal on the penalty kill. This is the Hawks and Wings final matchup of the preseason before the Blackhawks head to St. Louis tomorrow.

How to Watch:

Streaming: Blackhawks Website/App
Radio: WGN 720
Time: 6 p.m.

What to Look For In 75 Words Or Less:

While the Hawks have only had a few days of practice since Wednesday’s loss, tonight’s game is all about how the special teams unit look. How will the power play look with Nazar, Reichel and Korchinski highlighting the top unit? Can the young squad go into Detroit and pull out win? This game is all about the young guys, what remains to be seen is whether this is a preview of who fans can watch in Rockford this year or in Chicago.

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