Blackhawks blasted in the desert by Coyotes
Connor Bedard scored 28 seconds into the game, but Arizona answered with 8 unanswered goals and went on to post an 8-1 victory over the visiting Blackhawks on Monday.
Three of the Coyotes' goals came from Michael Carcone, who came in with 7 career goals in 36 games. The 27-year-old spent most of the last seven seasons in the AHL.
Bedard's goal came off a perfect feed from rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski, who has played in all nine of the Hawks' games. Beforehand, coach Luke Richardson told reporters Korchinski will stay in the NHL, meaning the first year of the rookie's three-year contract will be burned.
"He's played well and deserved this," Richardson said. "He's a big part of our team as we saw (in a win against Vegas). He and (Wyatt) Kaiser ... played exceptionally well, especially going down to five (defensemen) against a tough team on the road."
That isn't to say Korchinski will definitely be around all season. The Hawks can still send him to World Juniors in December and may also choose to send him to juniors to gain leadership experience.
Arvid Soderblom started in net for the Hawks and stopped just 15 of 22 shots before being pulled late in the second period.
The Hawks (3-6-0) are off until home games against Florida and New Jersey on Saturday and Sunday.
Vlasic hurting:
Alex Vlasic was sent back to Chicago and is in concussion protocol. The D-man was injured on a hit from Vegas' Brett Howden on Friday.
Vlasic was enjoying a solid start to his rookie campaign with 3 assists and 15 blocked shots. His average time on ice was 19:15 in his first seven games.
Isaak Phillips was recalled from Rockford and saw more than 17 minutes of ice time against Arizona. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Phillips had a goal and 4 assists in 16 games with the Hawks last season.
Ex-Hawks watch:
Teuvo Teravainen, who scored just 12 goals in 68 games for Carolina in 2022-23, already has 8 in 10 games this season. He scored all 3 goals in a 3-0 victory over San Jose on Friday, then notched the game-winner with 3:47 remaining in a 3-2 win over Philadelphia on Monday.